


The Perks of Being an Arsonist (Book 2 in the Perks of Being a Merc series)

by RudeAndGinger413



Series: The Perks Of Being A Mercenary [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-01-02 14:34:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21163220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RudeAndGinger413/pseuds/RudeAndGinger413
Summary: A Marvel/Sony fic where you don't have to worry about Spideygate happening again. Based loosely on comics and movies. Avengers, X-Men, Deadpool, random other movie, TV, and book characters making cameos. Featuring original character written in related one-shots style. Book 2 out of 7. Don't forget to bring the chimichangas





	1. Girl All The Bad Guys Want

**Author's Note:**

> This is book two, which is infinity better than the first book, but I do suggest you read book one first. But I guess if you’re a fast learner and don’t give a fuck, who cares.

** Girl All The Bad Guys Want **

The phone rang twice before a familiar voice answered it.  


“Steve?” Kitty Vics asked, surprise lacing her voice. “Where’s dad?”  


_ “Dealing with the caterer for the fundraiser.” _ Steve's voice answered through the phone. _ “Why, do you need him?” _  


“No, I mean, I was just wondering… if I could come...visit you guys.” She finished lamely.  


_ “Of course! You’re always welcome, you know that. Will you be here for the fundraiser tomorrow?” _  


Kitty paused. Fundraisers meant dresses and dresses are harder to fight in. “Do I have to?”  


_ “It would make Tony happy.” _  


“I don’t have a gown to wear.” She reminded him, hoping he would say she could skip the event.  


_ “Pepper can take you shopping for one when you get here.” _  


Kitty let out a long suffering sigh. “Fine.” She hung up the phone and switched it off just in time to board her flight to New York, a slight smile on her face.  


Held in a very large ballroom, the fundraiser housed rich people in lavish clothing, dancing and mingling with myself. Kitty Vics wore a black, slinky gown that hugged her curves then flared out slightly at her knees. Her hair cascaded down her back in golden waves with a red dahlia tucked behind her ear. Although she looked the part, Kitty felt incredibly uncomfortable and anxious being near so many rude and rich people. She walked into the room alone but relief quickly washed over her when she spotted a familiar face standing by the bar.  


“Logan?” Kitty couldn’t help but be shocked to see Wolverine out at such an event, especially in a tuxedo. Instead of the usual white shirt, however, his was blood red. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”  


“Well, technically, I wasn’t the one invited. The Professor told me that I was going, threw this suit at me and practically pushed me out of the school.” He admitted, finishing his drink. Logan held up his glass. “At least there’s an open bar.”  


“Yeah, I’ll give it to him, Tony throws a wicked party.” She admitted, moving to stand next to him. She pressed her back to the bar so she could watch the dancers. Even with high heels (Pepper insisted on a pair ridiculously strappy, deep red stilettos), Kitty was still almost a foot shorter than Logan.  


On the other side of the room, Tony Stark stood surrounded by boring people. They rambled on about how great this event was and persisted in asking if he would be putting on his Iron Man suit. He saw Kitty across the room, laughing at something a tall man said. It took Tony a moment to recognize the man next to her as the Wolverine. Ignoring the people in front of him, he nudged Steve Rogers and tilted his head in Kitty’s direction. “Is that...Logan? You invite him?”  


Steve turned and narrowed his eyes. “I sent an invitation to Professor Xavier, but not to him.”  


“We should probably keep an eye on him.” Tony advised, shaking the hand of someone he’s never seen before. “He’s been known to start fights and Kitty will probably encourage it.”  


“On it.” Steve confirmed as he left his partner’s side.  


Kitty looked up to see Steve walking towards her and Logan. “Hey, ‘Cap.” She greeted, punctuating it with a bright smile.  
Logan gruffly nodded his head once. “Rogers.”  


“You two having a fun time?” Steve asked them, definitely sounding like a parent. Both nodded awkwardly and Kitty took this opportunity to sip some more champagne. “Would you like to dance?” He asked Kitty, holding out his hand.  


She set her glass on the bar and flashed Logan a smile before taking Steve’s hand. Logan watched as the two blondes walked out to the middle of the room and started waltzing to the music.  


“So,” Steve started, unsure of how to go about this. “Logan here, that’s weird, isn't it?”  


“A little,” She agreed. Steve spun her and they continued dancing. “I don’t think he’s here to start trouble, though.” He nodded and she decided to change the subject. “Steve, when I said I wanted to visit,” Kitty paused. “I meant that I wanted to come back to the Avengers. Move back to the Tower.”  


“I know,” Steve admitted softly. “And like I said earlier, you’re always welcome here.”  


She smiled gratefully and her eyes teared up a little. “Thank you.”  


“Are you okay?” Steve’s eyes narrowed in concern and he noticed that there were scrapes and bruises on her knuckles. His eyes flicked to her shoulder and he saw a mark that had been mostly covered by makeup. It suspiciously looked like a partially healed knife wound.  


“Yeah, it’s just…” Kitty bit her lip and confided, “I missed you guys. Alot.” The song changed and a man approached them.  


Slightly shorter than Steve, Kitty guessed the man was just shy of six-foot. He had shoulder length, dirty blond hair and broad shoulders. Although he wore the proper attire, the man looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a week. He bowed his head at Steve as a smirk curled on his face. “May I cut in?” He asked, his mossy green eyes flashing. Steve turned to Kitty, who looked just as confused as he was.  


“Yeah, I guess.” She said slowly as she took the stranger’s sunkissed hand.  


Steve walked back to the bar, keeping his eyes on Kitty and the man.  


“So, she’s not with that Banner guy anymore, right?” Logan asked. He was staring at Kitty, too, although it was for a vastly different reason than Steve.  


Steve, taken aback, stopped watching Kitty and took to inspecting Logan. Logan wasn’t really the talkative type, especially not with him. “He broke up with her almost a year ago. Why?” Steve questioned, his eyes narrowing at Logan.  


“Nothing, he was just always trailing around her like a sad puppy. Figured something must’ve happened for her to come here alone.” He shrugged his shoulders and took another sip from his glass.  


Kitty looked at her new dance partner with the same amount of suspicion Steve was giving Logan. “I’m sorry, I must have missed your name.” Kitty hinted, batting her eyelashes in an attempt to appear sweet and innocent.  


The man flashed a wide, wolfish smile. “That would be because I didn’t say,” He confirmed. “Ashley Sinclare LeRoux, at your service, ma’am.”  


_ (Narrator: “For you non-Cajun/French speakin’ folks, LeRoux is pronounced La-Rue. The ‘x’ is not pronounced as an ‘x’. You can say Le-Row, but you’re on thin fuckin’ ice.”) _  


“Kitty Vics.” She narrowed her blue eyes at the stranger. “Ashley, that’s an old _Southern name_.”  


He laughed, delighted at her knowledge. “Louisiana. And where does the name ‘Kitty’ come from? Katherine?”  


“No, just ‘Kitty’,” She lied smoothly. “So, Mr. LeRoux, what brings you so far from Louisiana?” He lowered her into a dip, his arm holding her back. She felt his hot breath on her neck and felt uncomfortable with the intimate contact. Kitty’s lungs ached as he raised her upright.  


“You can call me Ashley.” He paused before answering, “And I’m...Old business partners with Mr. Stark.” He smiled down at her and an uneasy feeling crept over Kitty. “And what about you? I didn’t know they made it a habit of invitin’ models to borin’ fundraisers like this.”  


Kitty laughed, the right side of her face curling into a smirk. “Yeah, right. Me, a model. Funny.”  


“An actress, then?”  


Listening to his Southern accent brought back memories Kitty had fought hard to forget and her temper ran low. “I work as chief of security at the Stark Tower.” She answered bluntly.  


Ashley LeRoux raised his eyebrows. “Chief of security? I must say, ma’am, I’m mighty impressed. I’m also impressed that Mr. Stark can get anythin’ done around you.” He leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear. “You look absolutely ravishin’, my dahlia.”  


Kitty Vics moved back, her eyes flashing. “Well, he’s got a partner that he’s quite happy with. The blond I was dancing with earlier.” She clarified, a tone in her voice that challenged him to comment on her two pseudo-parent’s relationship.  


“And what about you? Surely someone of your beauty must be spoken for,” The music flowed into another song, but they continued dancing. “Married.”  


“No,” Kitty disagreed, finding the conversation to have taken an uncomfortable turn. “I think the practice of marriage is outdated.”  


“Then you will obliged to accompany me to dinner tomorrow night.” He declared as he spun her.  


Kitty blinked in surprise before it melted into anger. She stopped moving and took her hand off his shoulder. “Excuse me, _Mr. LeRoux_, but I will not ‘be accompanyin’ you anywhere. I think this dance is over.” Kitty turned to leave, but the man held onto her wrist and jerked her back. “Hey! Let go of me!”  


“I said, you _will _accompany me to dinner.” He growled, tightening the grip on her wrist hard enough for her to give a yelp of pain. It felt like he was crushing the bones in her wrist to dust and Kitty’s eyes started tearing up.  


Steve and Logan appeared seemingly out of nowhere.  


“Is there a problem here?” Steve challenged. Logan clenched his hands into fists, ready for a fight. This party just got more interesting, in his opinion. Kitty yanked her arm away from the man and rubbed her throbbing wrist.  


“No,” Kitty locked eyes with Ashley, her pale face flushed with anger. “We were just finished with our dance. That’s all.” She hissed, turning away to walk back to the bar. Logan glared at the man before following Kitty. She took some champagne gratefully from a server and drank most of it, trying (unsuccessfully) to let it soothe her frazzled nerves.  


Steve went to find Tony, but by then, they were stunned to see that the mysterious man had disappeared.  


“You okay?” Logan asked Kitty.  


She took a deep breath and self consciously massaged her wrist. “I’m fine.” Kitty answered shortly. They stood there at the bar in silence for a few songs before Logan spoke.  


“I can go kill him for you,” He met her eyes and added, “If you want me to.”  


Kitty scoffed. “You think I can’t?” She asked him, her face curled into a smirk.  


“Well,” Logan paused, then guestered to her gown. “I didn’t think you’d want to get blood on your dress.”  


“Screw the dress.” Kitty spat, searching the room for the mysterious man. “Imma kill ‘em...If...I can find him.” Her eyebrows drew together upon realizing that she had completely lost track of the man. She saw Tony walking towards the bar and she mentally prepared herself for what was coming.  


Kitty took his hand, knowing that there would be more talking than dancing. The next song was slow, so there were few distractions.  


“Are you okay?” Tony finally asked.  


Kitty bit her lip, trying to think of a good response. “You know, everyone keeps askin’ me that, but I don’t see why I wouldn’t be fine.” Her wrist still throbbed and she was tired, but Kitty didn’t want to ruin Tony’s event or upset him.  


“Steve told me about that man.” Tony reported. When Kitty stayed silent, he tried again. “I was going to have someone escort him out, but he seems to have...mysteriously disappeared.”  


“Well, I didn’t off him in the foyer with a candlestick if that’s what you’re hintin’ at.” She huffed.  


Tony felt a twinge of shame but he made himself continue. “Logan?”  


“Was with me.” She finished. “The bartender can attest to it.” The bartender had spent most of the night staring at her breasts, so Kitty figured he might as well be put to good use. Especially since it wasn’t her fault the man had vanished.  


Tony decided to switch topics. “Steve also told me you want to come back.”  


Kitty blushed and smiled nervously. “Only if you guys want me back. I’d understand if you don’t.” She said quickly. “I know I’m not easy to live with-”  


“Of course we want you back.” Tony burst out. “You’re our kid, at this point. Hell, I’ll even let Deadpool go on missions with you if it means you’ll stay.”  


She laughed quietly. “You do know I’m going to tell him that, right? I’m holdin’ ya to it.”  


Tony pursed his lips, slightly regretting his words. “Fine. When are you moving back into the Tower?”  


“My stuff’s already unpacked and put away.” Kitty confessed, unable to hold back her smile. She hugged Tony when the song ended. “I missed you, dad.”  


He smiled widely, as he did every time she called him ‘dad’. Tony hugged her back and said, “I missed you too, Kit.”


	2. The Black Dahlia

** The Black Dahlia **

The night passed with no more sightings of Ashley Sinclare LeRoux. Kitty tried to sleep in her room at the Tower, but she ended up staying awake most of the night. Every time she felt herself drift off, she would hear Ashley LeRoux taunting her. His voice sounded oddly familiar, but she couldn’t place it. At one point, she swore she could see his eyes watching her restlessness. Her wrist ached despite the Advil she took to ease it and it only added to her frustration. She tossed and turned, alternating between being so cold that her teeth chattered to being too hot and sweating. Kitty had finally dozed off sometime after the sun had set. 

She was woken up just after eleven by Deadpool jumping on her bed like a child. 

“HEY VICS, WAKEY WAKEY!” 

Kitty groaned in response and pulled the covers over her head. Deadpool, seeing this as a challenge, yanked the covers off of her and Kitty was glad that she had worn sweatpants to bed. 

“Do you have a deathwish? I mean, I know you can’t die, but I can and will shoot you.” Kitty informed him as she rubbed her dull eyes, the dark circles standing out vividly from her pale skin. 

Deadpool put his hand on his chest in mock-hurt. “But don’t you want your flowers?” He asked. 

Kitty sat up in bed and tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. “What the hell are you goin’ on about?” Kitty’s eyes widened when she remembered what day it was. _They don’t know_, she told herself. _They couldn’t_. She frantically grabbed her cellphone off its charger and checked the date again to make sure. November 30th. Sighing in frustration, she shoved the phone into her pajama pants pocket. 

Deadpool led his friend down to the living room where the Avengers (minus Bruce Banner who, last time she heard, was now in Egypt) stood surrounded by flowers. The arrangements were everywhere, ranging in color and variety. When she entered the room, everyone turned to stare at her. A wave of nausea hit Kitty from the overwhelming perfume of flowers. 

“What the actual fuck?” She gasped, examining the closest vase, full of lilies and hydrangeas. Kitty looked up at Tony, her eyes wide with shock. 

“So, I take it that you don’t know where these came from.” Steve said as he waved his hand, gesturing to the arrangement of orchids beside him on the table. 

“This came with it.” Clint stepped around a very large vase of red roses to hand her a white envelope.

Kitty took it numbly and opened it, ignoring everyone’s stares. Deadpool was looking curiously over her shoulder as she pulled out a piece of black parchment with elegant white script. 

“To my dearest dahlia,” Kitty read aloud. “With love.” Her mouth opened in shock and she cocked her head to the side at Tony. “Ashley.”

“Oooh, Vicky has an admirer! How cute!” Deadpool tried to pinch her cheek, but she was too fast for him. Kitty grabbed his hand roughly and he backed away, recognizing the deadly look in her tired eyes.

“Is this Ashley the one that grabbed you last night?” Tony asked her.

Kitty nodded mutely.

“Wait,” Deadpool held up his hands. “Someone grabbed Vics last night and survived?” He asked incredulously. 

She pushed up the sleeve on her arm. A distinct, deep purple and black, hand-shaped bruise circled her small, pale wrist. The whole room seemed to take in a deep breath as they surveyed the damage.

“Fuck.” Deadpool muttered, shaking his head. 

“Maybe you should do business with less scummy people.” She shot at Tony as she walked past him to the kitchen. She poured herself a large cup of coffee and took a drink, ignoring the burn as it ran down her throat. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tony asked. 

Kitty moved a vase full of dahlias to the floor and sat on the kitchen counter. “Well, the guy was at _your _ fundraiser and he said you two have done business with each other for awhile. And here I thought Deadpool and I were the worst of your friends.” She yawned and ignored Deadpool faux-hurt at the last remark. 

Tony eyebrows laced together. “He tell you about himself? His full name, anything?”

“Yeah,” Kitty replied. She took another sip of her coffee. “Ashley Sinclare LeRoux.” She let a Southern accent slide through to resemble Ashley’s voice. “Said he’s from Louisiana.” 

“Hey JARVIS,” Tony called. “Check employee files. See if we’ve ever worked with a LeRoux before.” 

The group waited in silence as JARVIS worked through the data. “_There are no files of employment for any Ashley LeRoux_.” The cool voice answered.

“Probably gave you a false name, Котенок.” Natasha suggested. She sat down in a large, comfortable chair and put her legs on Clint Barton’s lap. 

“JARVIS, please do an Internet wide search.” Kitty requested. “If it’s a name change, there’ll be court files for it. The guy’s got to be rich; This flower’s a peony.” All she got were blank stares. “It’s a wedding flower, definitely out of season. I don’t even know where you would get dark purple peonies. Just this flower alone is expensive enough and there's gotta be more than two grand in flowers right now in this room. And we should probably have ‘em checked for poison. The petals of roses are waxy and can hold chemicals on them easily, while the fragrance can disguise the smell of most poisons.”

“How do you know so much about flowers?” Steve asked, baffled. 

Kitty paused, then rubbed her eyes. “He’s got to be from old, Southern money. Probably Louisiana territory.” She deflected. “That kind of accent is hard to fake and his was definitely real.”

“_I have a result, Ms. Vics._” JARVIS informed them and silence fell over the room. “_Mr. LeRoux was born in Mansfield, Louisiana. His father’s name was Jackson Harper LeRoux, who worked with Mr. Howard Stark_...”

“Jackson Harper?” Tony shook his head, raising one hand to rub his temple. “That explains it.”

“Thank you, JARVIS. You know him?” Kitty asked Tony as she refilled her Deadpool mug with the last of the coffee before starting a new batch.

_ (Narrator: “This was an unspoken rule in the Tower- “Ye Who Drinks The Last Of The Substance Of Life Makes More”. Steve had even taken to sticking notes on the coffee machine that reminded Kitty and Tony that, “No, coffee is not food. Go eat something.”)_

“Knew. He died before my father did. Harper worked with him on weapons design. He had his own company that contracted with us and the government.” Tony shook his head and said, “I never met his kid.”

“Okay,” Steve said slowly. “Then why show up last night if you two never actually worked together?”

Nobody had time to answer, for at that moment, a sharp ringing could be heard coming from Kitty’s pajama pants. She hopped off the kitchen counter and started searching her pockets frantically. She finally produced her cell phone, which still rung obnoxiously, and she stared at the screen. It was an unknown number. Cautiously, she pressed the ‘accept’ button and raised the phone to her ear.

“Hello?”

“_Hello, my dear_.” A smooth voice answered.

“How the fuck did you get this number?” She demanded.

A deep sigh could be heard through the other side of the line. “_Money talks, my beautiful dahlia. Now, be a doll and give the phone to Mr. Stark, if you would_.”

Kitty’s eyes met Tony’s. “Mr. Stark’s not here right now. I’d ask if you’d like to leave a message, but seein’ as I’m not his keeper…”

“_Let’s not play games_,” He advised her lavishly. “_I know Mr. Stark is standin’ right across the room from you. Put him on the phone. Please._”

Kitty sighed and closed her eyes, handing the phone off the Tony. She tried to ignore the anger and paranoia that flooded her mind.

“_Hello, Mr. Stark_.” Ashley greeted him.

“What do you want?” Tony responded, in no mood for pleasantries. 

“_Is everyone at Stark Tower as unfriendly as you?_”

“Yes.” Tony answered shortly.

“_Fine._” Ashley spat. “_I was goin’ to do this nicely, but my temper is runnin’ low. I would like a meetin’ with you and Ms. Vics tonight at my office._”

“Like hell I’d let you anywhere near her.” 

Steve and Deadpool moved closer to Kitty, as if to protect her from the voice on the phone. 

“_The Rose Garden, then. A public place, plenty of witnesses. Oh, and let’s make this as... pleasant as possible. No weapons, just the three of us havin’ a nice meetin’._”

Tony shook his head, sliding his eyes shut. “Fine.” He agreed, knowing that this was the only way to settle this.

“_That wasn’t nearly as hard as I was expectin’. Now, if you could hand the phone back to Ms. Vics._”

The phone made its way back to a now quite furious Kitty.

“_I will see you tonight at six. And I was right, was I not?_” He asked pompously.

“About what?” Kitty sneered.

“_You and I havin’ dinner tonight. See you then._” Kitty heard the click of the line going dead. 

She turned to Tony. “Imma kill ‘em. Imma rip out the annoying bloody tongue of his, then cook it in gumbo and feed it to him.”

“We’ll settle this.” Tony sighed, sitting in a chair and rubbing his eyes. “He said he wanted to talk business, and that’s what we’ll do.” 

“If it’s just business, why me?” Kitty asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“No way Kitty’s going in there without backup.” Deadpool cracked his knuckles as he moved closer to Kitty. Steve nodded in agreement, as did Natasha. 

“LeRoux said just the three of us, no weapons. We’ll be at the Rose Garden, so at least it’s out in public.”

“I’m not going anywhere near him without a weapon.” Kitty protested. She grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and pressed it lightly on her wrist, wincing as the cold seemed to burn her skin. “I’ll hide one in my suit if I have to. I’ve got a knife that’ll fit in my boot.”

“The Rose Garden isn’t exactly somewhere you can wear your suit to…” Tony’s voice trailed off, knowing where this was going.

“Oh, no.” Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “No more dresses. Hell no.”

“Kit…” Tony tried, ignoring Deadpool’s laughter. Even Steve smiled a little.

“I don’t even own another fancy dress!” Kitty threw her hands up in the air. “I have one, uno! Ugh.” She ran her hands through her hair and put it up with a ponytail holder. 

“I can go shopping with you.” Steve offered quietly. 

“Dios maldita sea, Tony. Espero que sepas que estás pagando por esta mierda.” Kitty rambled as she left the room.

Deadpool laughed loudly, watching her leave with amusement. “She said you’re footing the bill.” He translated for Tony. 


	3. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

** Gentlemen Prefer Blondes**

A half hour later, Kitty left her room, ready for the herculean task of dress shopping. “Come on, ‘Cap.” She called to Steve. He sitting next to Tony, who silently held out a blue credit card. Kitty snatched it from his hands and slid it in her back pocket. He didn’t even bother giving her a limit on what she could spend.

“Ms. Vixen!” Dopinder greeted as Kitty and Steve climbed into the cab.

“Hey, Dopinder.” Kitty tried to smile. The taxi ride felt tense and uncomfortable and Steve attempted to break the silence.

“You know,” He began. “Most women love dresses.” Steve was rewarded with a glare from Kitty, obvious even through the sunglasses. “Tony doesn’t want to do this either.”

Kitty sighed. “Yeah, I know. I just...I don’t get why this guy’s fixated on me. I’m not even that interesting.” 

“I think you’re interesting.” Steve said, frowning slightly. 

“I do, too.” Dopinder chimed in.

“Thanks, guys.” Kitty smiled softly as the car stopped. She got out while Steve paid the cabbie and joined her on the sidewalk in front of the store. “Let’s get this over with.” Kitty scowled at the dress shop as if it had personally offended her. Steve opened the door for her and immediately, a salesman attacked.

“Hi! How can I help you two?” He said cheerfully. Short and lean, the man had dark hair that was artistically combed into a fashionable style. 

“She needs a dress for tonight.” Steve answered. The man looked at Kitty from head to toe, scrutinizing her every curve.

“Are you looking for anything in particular?” He asked Kitty, lightly caressing her golden hair.

“Um…I don’t really know.” She shrugged, uncomfortable at the man touching her hair.

“Something...tight,” The man said, nodding at Steve. “Don’t you think your wife would look stunning in something that hugs her curves?” The man slid closer to Steve, who now looked as unnerved as Kitty.

Kitty laughed at Steve’s terrified face. “We’re not together. We’re just friends and I needed a man’s opinion.” 

The salesman’s eyes lit up. “Well, why don’t we get you something to try on. And you,” He turned to Steve, “Can go sit by the dressing rooms.”

The first dress could only be described as awful. It was a bright, lime green color with white ruffles in odd places. Kitty tried it on and shuddered at her reflection. She stuck her head out from the curtain and informed Steve and the salesman that she would not be coming out in that. 

The next dress was a deep blue fabric with silver sparkles scattered around. It was floor length with a slit up the left side that went up to the middle of her thigh. The dress looked like the night sky with twinkling stars and Kitty fell in love instantly. It even fit perfectly, giving her a beautiful hourglass figure. She stepped out of the dressing room to where Steve and the man sat waiting. The salesman stood up immediately to fawn over Kitty. 

“Doesn’t she look great?” He asked Steve, who had stood up as well.

“You look beautiful, Kitty.” Steve smiled as Kitty twirled in the gown. 

“I love it.” She said, looking in the mirror again. 

“Good. We’ll take it.” Steve told the man, who looked slightly disappointed.

“But I have other dresses she should see! She’s like a perfect Barbie doll!” The man whined. Kitty rolled her eyes and went to change out of the gown. She could hear the salesman fishing on Steve’s relationship status and moved faster to try to help him escape. 

The salesman brought over matching silver stilettos, much to the chagrin of Kitty. They were slightly higher than the ones last night and Kitty could feel the foot pain just by looking at them. She hurried to tie her boots knowing that the sooner they paid for everything, the sooner they could leave.

The man then insisted that they get her some jewelry, leading them to a large counter full of sparkling jewels and stones.

Steve picked out the jewelry. The set was silver ivy with a dark blue sapphire flower pendant. The ring that went with it was simple, a silver twisted band with a sapphire stone set in it. Kitty instantly fell in love with the set but then shuddered at the price.

She turned and whispered to Steve, “Okay, I’m upset at Tony, but not enough for him to have to pay for this.” 

“Would it make you feel better if I told you it’s your birthday present?” Steve asked before telling the salesman to wrap up the jewelry set.

Kitty stared at Steve, her mouth gaping slightly. “How...How did you know?” She stuttered.

“Tony and I...We found your original birth certificate.” Steve explained, looking down at the ground like a kicked puppy. 

“You found or you looked?

“We looked.”

Kitty bit her lip. “...Did you look up my family?” She asked quietly. Kitty handed Tony’s credit card to the man, her eyes still locked on Steve.

“No, just your birth certificate. We figured that if you wanted us to know about your family, you’d tell us when you were ready.” Steve took the bags that the salesman gave him and opened the door for Kitty.

They sat in the taxi in silence for several minutes before Kitty finally spoke.

“My mother owned a flower shop.” She whispered.

“What?” Steve asked, bewildered.

“You asked earlier how I knew so much about flowers.” Kitty looked out the window of the taxi and watched the city fly by. “My mother owned a small flower shop. It was real popular for weddings.”

“Oh.” Steve didn’t know what to say. She rarely ever offered information about her birth family that Steve didn’t really know what to say whenever she did.

“Sometimes, I wonder if she’s still got it.”

“I can have Tony check-“ 

“No!” Kitty interrupted. When she saw Steve’s face, she felt a twinge of guilt. “I don’t, uh, I don’t think I could...I just can’t.” 

Steve nodded. “It’s okay, I just wanted to help.” The cab stopped in front of Stark Tower and Kitty let herself out, waiting for Steve. 

“Thank you, Steve. I’m sorry I’m so weird...It’s just, with my birthday, then this Ashley LeRoux thing...” Kitty apologized in the elevator. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“I know your real family wasn’t a very good one, but you mean a lot to us. All of us think of you as family.” Steve explained as they crossed through the flower covered kitchen to the private elevators.

“You guys are my real family.” Kitty corrected as she entered the code to take them up to her room. Steve set the dress box and the bags on her bed before hugging Kitty. “I think I’m going to go find Tony and apologize for earlier. It’s not his fault I’ve gotten a creep’s attention.”

“I’ll send him in.” Steve told her gently. He left her room and went to find Tony.

Tony sat in front of one of his many computers, typing away madly. He didn’t even turn away from it when Steve came into their room. The blonde wrapped his arms around his partner’s chest and set his chin on Tony’s shoulder. 

“Whatcha doing?” He asked, trying to decipher the numbers on the computer screen. 

“One of the pieces of coding is wrong, and JARVIS doesn’t know why-” He stopped to rub his eyes tiredly, then turned to Steve. “It’s nothing that can’t wait. How’d it go?”

Steve pulled out the other chair and sat in it. “She wants to talk to you.”

Tony sighed. “Let’s get this over with.” He got up from his chair and stretched so his body was long and lean, catching Steve’s attention.

“She said she wanted to apologize.” Steve explained, still watching Tony with interest. 

“Oh,” Tony marveled. “She’s not mad?” His eyes brightened when Steve shook his head. Tony kissed Steve before leaving to go talk to Kitty. 

Kitty took the dress out of it’s bag and hung it on the closet door, admiring it. She didn’t even notice Tony standing in the doorway. 

“It’s pretty.” Tony announced loudly. Kitty jumped slightly and drew her gun to point at the door. Tony raised his hands non threateningly. “It’s just me, calm down.” He stepped further in the room and shut the door. 

Kitty took a deep breath and slowly lowered her weapon. “Sorry. Force of habit, I guess.” She set her gun on her bedside table and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. 

“Rough year?” Tony asked with a nod to the weapon. It had been a while since she had drawn a gun on him, after she had finally started trusting the Avengers. It worried Tony that she might be back in the incredibly dangerous, unstable mindset.

“Little bit…” Kitty sighed. 

“I don’t remember you having a scar there,” Tony nodded at a circular shaped scar on her forearm that suspiciously looked like a bullet hole.

A heavy, awkward silence fell over the room. “Tony, I wanted to apologize. This LeRoux thing isn’t your fault. I was just already on edge because of my birthday, then those damn flowers…” She sat on the bed and hugged her knees to her chest. “I was outta line and I’m sorry.”

“I know, kiddo.” He sat on her bed next to her. “We’ll go to this meeting tonight, and hopefully never have to deal with this LeRoux guy again.” Kitty smiled weakly. Tony opened up the jewelry bag and took out the box.

“Steve picked it out.” She explained as Tony lifted the necklace up to the light to inspect it. He unhooked the clasp as Kitty lifted up her hair so Tony could fasten it around her neck. 

“He’s got good taste.” Tony commented. “It matches your eyes.”

“There’s a ring, too.” Kitty rummaged through the bags until she found the small, square box to hand to Tony. “I figured, I can’t wear the necklace everyday, but the ring…” She shrugged, smiling. “Plus, could you imagine the damage this baby would leave on someone’s cheekbone?”

Tony laughed as he moved off her bed. “I’ll let you get ready. Oh, and,” He looked over his shoulder. “Happy birthday.”

Kitty rolled her eyes. “Thanks, dad.” She said with a smirk as Tony left her room. 

Several hours later, Kitty emerged from her room. She wore half of her hair pulled up in a bun held together by chopsticks, while the rest flowed wavy down her back. The makeup on her pale face was natural and flattering. She figured that the jewelry and dress was flashy enough without heavy makeup. A pair of silvery satin gloves ran up to her elbows. Kitty stepped out of her room and took the lift to the family room where Tony, Steve, and (most surprisingly) Logan sat. 

“Hey, Logan,” Kitty called with a smile. “What are you doin’ here?” 

Logan stared at her, mouth slightly agape, until Steve cleared his throat loudly. He stood up fast, as did Steve and Tony. “Uh, just came to check up on you. From last night.” He clarified, still refusing to take his eyes off her. 

She slowly turned in a circle. “Whatcha think, guys?” 

“Beautiful, as always.” Tony told her as Steve leaned over to fix his partner’s jacket.

“You, uh, look okay.” Logan said lamely. “How’s your wrist?”

“Fine. Just sore.” She turned to Tony, glad her gloves hid the wound. “Are you ready?” 

“Are you armed?” Tony asked Kitty pointedly. She sighed, rolling her eyes. Kitty raised the hem of her dress and revealed a gun hooked to her right leg on a garter. Steve looked mildly horrified as she unhooked the weapon and deposited it on the table. 

She slid the garter off, which also had an extra clip somehow hooked in. Next, Kitty unclipped the strap on her shoes and slid them off to reveal a knife tucked away in each one. Then, she reached up to the black chopsticks in her hair and pulled them out, letting her hair fall down onto her shoulders in waves. She yanked apart the chopsticks to reveal that they were thin (but long) blades that slid into a case to appear innocent. 

She had on two rings over her gloves; The one Steve had bought her and an oval one with a cherry red stone set into it. Kitty shucked it off and set it down on the table.

“It’s a poison ring,” Kitty explained. “You open up the top and it holds poison that you can slip into someone’s food or drink.”

“Is that it?” Logan nodded to the weapons on the table. Kitty glared at him as she reached down the front of her gown and produced a medium-sized knife. She put it in Logan’s outstretched hand, trying to ignore the disappointment written on Tony’s face. Logan pressed the button on the handle and the blade automatically flew out. 

“You know, switchblades are illegal in New York.” Tony reminded Kitty, giving her a look that they unanimously named “The Dad Look”.

Kitty sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. “They’re illegal everywhere.” Tony and Steve were still staring at her.

She rolled her eyes and slid off her gloves to reveal several razor blades pressed against her skin. Kitty threw the gloves down with the razors and replaced the ring Steve got her. She tried to hide her purple wrist from Logan, but she saw his eyes take in the sight. 

“That’s it, I swear.” Kitty confirmed, looking Logan smugly in the eyes. He was honestly impressed as he closed the knife and slid it into his pocket. She pointed her pale finger at Logan and said, “And that’s mine and I will want it back.”

“Okay, let’s go or we’ll be late.” Tony declared, locking arms with Kitty.

“Oh no,” Kitty said sarcastically. “We wouldn’t want to be late.” She could hear Logan laughing as she and Tony left the Tower.


	4. American Beauty, American Psycho

**American Beauty, American Psycho**

Kitty looked at the entrance to the upscale restaurant and felt a wave of anxiety. “Tony…”

Dressed in a suit, the doorman smiled widely when he saw them. He held open the extravagant door and Kitty’s eyes tried to adjust to the dim lighting. A band was playing in the corner and the soft music could be heard flowing through the restaurant, mingling with faint voices in conversations. The tables, filled with men and women in formal attire, were far enough apart to ensure privacy. Kitty secretly felt relieved that she wasn’t the only one dressed up; One woman wore a fur coat that Kitty suspected was real. 

Tony looked down at Kitty’s worried face. “It’ll be okay.” He assured her as they walked up to the podium at the front of the restaurant. 

“Hi, do you have a reservation?” A dark haired woman asked Tony, completely ignoring Kitty. 

“LeRoux.” Kitty answered smoothly. 

The woman (whose nametag read “Lila”) ran her eyes up and down Kitty’s figure, pausing slightly on her hand that was wrapped around Tony’s arm. She scowled then looked down at the book on her podium. 

“Ms. Vics and Mr. Stark?” Lila asked, batting her fake eyelashes at Tony, who nodded. She smiled brightly at him and turned to lead them to the table, making an effort to sway her nonexistent hips. Kitty couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the woman’s desperate attempt to get Tony’s attention. She took them to a table in the corner where Ashley LeRoux sat patiently.

Ashley stood up and pulled out the chair across from him for Kitty to sit in. She sat down, carefully crossing her legs to show off her left leg through the dress’ slit. While Ashley’s eyes were distracted, she surveyed the area.

Ashley wore a deep blue suit with unremarkable brown shoes. Down by Ashley’s feet lay a brown suitcase and a half empty glass of red wine sat in front of him. He still hadn’t shaved and Kitty came to the conclusion that the man didn’t own a razor. Despite the scruff, Ashley never had a full beard, as if he wanted to look rugged while still maintaining class. What a pretentious ass.

“Can I get you anything?” Lila asked Tony as he sat down next to Kitty. 

“No, thank you.” Tony replied distractedly, refusing to take his eyes off Mr. LeRoux. Lila turned around and left, disappointed in Tony’s lack of interest.

“Hello, my sweet dahlia.” Ashley purred. “You look absolutely ravishin’ tonight.”

Kitty resisted the urge to throw something and took a deep breath to calm herself. “Hello, Mr. LeRoux.” 

“Please, call me Ashley.” He smiled at her. The smile vanished when he cooly addressed Tony. “Mr. Stark.”

A male waiter showed up, holding a bottle of red wine. “Hello, everybody,” He greeted, not noticing the tension at the table. “May I interest you in some wine? Or perhaps another drink?”

“No,” Kitty turned to look at the waiter. He was around her age, attractive, with ginger hair and hazel eyes. He seemed to waiver under her gaze, unable to break eye contact. “We won’t be staying very long.” Her lips curled into her most dazzling smile and the waiter stuttered, his feet rooted to the spot. “You can go now.” Kitty told him, and the man blinked rapidly as he wandered away. 

“I see you have that effect on most people.” Ashley looked pointedly at Tony when he said “most”.

“It’s a gift,” Kitty quipped shortly. “Now why did you call us here?”

“All business, no play…” Ashley took a sip from his wine glass. “I would like to renegotiate our father’s previous agreement between our companies.”

“We don’t make weapons anymore.” Tony reminded him, his voice filled with warning. 

“And yet, there she sits.” Ashley pointedly stared at Kitty, a light smirk on his face.

“You already knew that Stark Industries got out of that business a while ago...” Kitty accused the Southern man after deciding to ignore his comment. “So, why did you _really _ call us here?” She lightly drummed her nails on the tablecloth, unable to keep still.

“Smart and beautiful,” Ashley complimented. “What a fascinatin’ly deadly combination.” Tony cleared his throat loudly, and Mr. LeRoux flicked his eyes in his direction before concentrating back on Kitty. “Did you enjoy the flowers, cher?” He asked her with a sly grin. “I thought they might brighten your special day.”

Kitty paused and Ashley seemed to enjoy the effect that had on her. “Tony, could you please go get me a drink.” Kitty requested. “I believe Mr. LeRoux would like to speak to me alone.” 

Tony narrowed his eyes, not liking the shift in the atmosphere at the table. “Are you sure?” As the tension at the table grew, Tony felt regret for making Kitty give up her weapons stash.

“Yes.” She whispered. Tony begrudgingly got up and crossed the room to the bar, where he sat with Kitty in full view. 

“I didn’t know you were in such a hurry to be alone with me.” Ashley gushed, reaching one hand over the table to hold her hand. She moved it, placing both of her hands gently in her lap.

“I don’t think it’d be wise to hold hands with you,” She held up the bruised wrist, and Ashley visibly winced. “It didn’t go so well for me last time.”

“I’m sorry, my beautiful dahlia.” He apologized, casting his eyes downwards. “My temper gets the better of me sometimes.” Ashley’s mouth twitched upward as he looked back up at her. “But you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kitty kept her face blank and she maintained eye contact with the man. 

“Now, now. Playin’ dumb doesn’t suit you, my dear. I came here to talk business, remember?” Ashley leaned in closer, on the edge of his seat. She could smell his cologne now and ignored the urge to leave.

“What do you want?” Kitty growled through clenched teeth, her face flush with anger and fear. She glanced over at Tony, who sipped a drink casually, but his eyes were still locked on them. 

“You.” Ashley answered. Kitty turned back to look at Ashley and smirked, so he continued. “To come work for me.” His green eyes seemed to glow as he said that and they gave Kitty an uneasy feeling.

“And why would _I_ work for _you_?” She asked, her voice like acid.

“Because you’re on the wrong team.” He divulged with a smile, as if proud that she wasn’t a hero like the rest of the team. “I’ll pay you triple what Mr. Stark is payin’ you, and you won’t have to restrain yourself when it comes to your...job. Besides,” He leaned back slightly, straightening his back and shoulders. “I understand now that Mr. Banner is gone, nothin’ is keepin’ you tethered there. But his loss is my gain.”

“I work security. Nothing more.” Kitty denied. She smoothed her dress self consciously, which was not lost on Mr. LeRoux. He could tell that he had struck a nerve mentioning her ex. Kitty glanced down at the table before muttering, “And Mr. Banner has nothing to do with any of this.”

“You were in Special Forces, and have one of the highest known list of confirmed kills. You’re good at your job and you enjoy it.” He tilted his head at her and smiled. “And now you work for Mr. Stark for a project, rompin’ around the city catchin’ bad guys. But let’s face it, you and I both know that this isn’t the right side for you.”

Kitty rolled her eyes and smirked. “So,” She shrugged. “You read my file. Is that supposed to impress me? Scare me? Because it’s not working. It’s actually quite a pitiful attempt.”

“No,” Ashley disagreed. “I have no desire to scare you, cher. It was simply to remind you that mercenaries belon’ where the money is, and that’s with me.”

Kitty felt a burning rage surge through her, and she dug her nails into the palm of her hand. “I am where I belong. And not even money is going to change that. Now, if that’s all you’d like to talk about, I believe the topic is closed.” She stood up to leave, but Ashley cleared his throat, making her pause.

“I do hope you don’t think I’ve ruined your birthday.”

She turned to face him. “It’s not my birthday.” Kitty lied smoothly.

“What did I say about lyin’?” He chastised. “Besides, I already had your presents delivered.” 

“Yes, well, the flowers were lovely.” She managed to choke out. “It’s crossed my mind that they might be poisoned, though.”

Ashley sighed. “No, the flowers are not poisoned. Besides, I’m more fond of explosives.” He divulged, biting his lip slightly. “The flowers weren’t the gift, though. If only I’d had it delivered this mornin’ so you could have worn the one tonight. I would _murder_ to see it on you.” She didn’t leave, but she didn’t sit down like he’d wished. “Ms. Vics, I was hopin’ you would leave this meetin’ as a friend and coworker, but maybe they’ll help you change your mind.”

“I highly doubt it.” Kitty clenched her teeth and walked over to where Tony stood. “We’re leaving. Now.” She grabbed his arm as he escorted her past the podium and out the doors.

“What did he want?” Tony demanded as they climbed into the car. 

Kitty paused, trying to think of the best way to word Ashley’s proposal. “He wants me to come work for him... As a mercenary.”

“What’d you say?” He asked quietly, bracing himself for the bad news. “I’m sure he offered you a lot.”

“I kindly told him to fuck off, in a few nicer words, given the fancy settin’ and all.” She stared at Tony in disbelief, her blue eyes wide. “Do you really think I would leave you guys for that psycho?”

Tony brightened instantly. “Well, no.” Kitty raised her eyebrow, sceptical. “Okay, yeah. I didn’t want to think it, but if he offered you more money, or something better…” He admitted. “Why would you stay?”

“You think I stay with all of you for the money? I made more working freelance.” Kitty brushed a strand of hair out of her face and started picking at her thumbnail. “I stay because...I love you guys.” She mumbled.

“We love you, too.” He put his arm around Kitty’s shivering frame. Tony shrugged off his black suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “So, is that all he wanted?”

Kitty shoved her arms into the jacket, gripped it closer, and looked out the window before whispering, “He knows it’s my birthday.”

“What?” Tony stared at her. “How?”

“I don’t know. But he called when we had JARVIS look him up and now he knows my birthday.” Kitty pointed out. “Maybe we should see if there's a bug or virus in the system.”

Tony nodded. “I’ll check on it. So, I guess that explains the flowers.”

“Apparently, those weren't my “presents”,” Kitty grumbled. “My presents are waiting at home.” 


	5. She Had The World Upon A String

**She Had The World Upon A String**  


Steve and Logan were sitting at the dinner table, waiting awkwardly for Tony and Kitty. Two boxes had arrived and were sitting on the table, covered in black wrapping paper, with a large red bow on the tops. Kitty walked in first and Logan had to suppress the urge to joke at her wearing Tony’s jacket, the fabric almost brushing her knees.

“Oh, fuck a duck.” Kitty swore loudly upon seeing the boxes. She pulled Tony’s warm jacket around her closer but now her shivering wasn’t from the cold.

“You didn’t tell me it was your birthday.” Logan complained, his face breaking out into a toothy smile.

“I didn’t tell anyone.” She shot back, glaring at the offending presents. Logan’s smile faded and Kitty’s heart felt like it had belly flopped. She turned her attention back to the table with the presents, because even that was better than looking at Logan’s frown. A large, square box sat on top of a long, wide gift. Both looked very uninviting as she sat down in the chair next to Logan. “Let’s get this over with.”

She started with the larger one, ripping off the paper and balling it up before throwing it across the room into the trash. Kitty focused her attention on the red velvet box with pearls and rubies ingrained in the gold siding. It was heavy and looked extremely expensive to Kitty. She glanced at the three men, who looked as shocked as she felt.

A panic coursed its way through Kitty’s veins as she vividly remembered her conversation with Ashley. She could almost hear him whispering, “Besides, I’m more fond of explosives”. Her heart felt like it was beating through her chest and a cool sweat broke out over her body. Kitty felt lightheaded as she bent down, holding her hair back as she pressed her ear softly to the box.

“What are you doing? Tony asked, puzzled as she gently tapped the box, still listening carefully.

“What if it’s a bomb?” Kitty cautioned, peering at the box. She sat up straight, her face completely blank as she turned to face the three men. “Leave. Get out of here.”

Logan met her eyes and scoffed, “I don’t think so.”

“Please,” Kitty begged. “We can’t risk movin’ it if it’s pressure sensitive, and I ain’t bringin’ you guys down with me. Whatever this LeRoux guy has done, it’s because of me. So, go. Leave.”

Tony quietly sat down in the chair between Steve and Kitty. “We’re not leaving, Kitty.” Steve argued. She looked at Logan, a pleading look in her blue eyes. He shook his head slowly and remained seated.

“It’s not like it’ll kill me.” Logan reminded her with a shrug.

She took a deep breath before carefully unhooking the boxes clasp. Kitty couldn’t help but gasp at what lay inside. Everyone focused their attention on the box.

“What is it?” Steve worried, trying to see what the mysterious box held.

Kitty finally managed to cough out, “It’s...a tiara.”

An intricate, silver crown with sapphires and pearls sat in the plush velvet box. The tiara was easily the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It twinkled and shined, and a part of Kitty’s brain made the connection that it matched the gown she wore. She carefully lifted it from the box and held it up for Tony, Steve, and Logan to see.

“Tony,” She handed the tiara carefully to Tony, who inspected it. “Please tell me this ain’t real. Please tell me its fake silver and paste stones, made of plaster and cardboard.”

“There’s something else.” Logan picked up a picture from the box and handed it to Kitty.

It was a small portrait of King Henry VIII’s wife Anne Boleyn, who wore the crown proudly on her head. It was unmistakable as the same tiara. Kitty felt her heart skip a beat as she set her elbows on the table and held her head in her hands.  


“It’s real. There’s a certificate of authenticity in the gold chest, which is also real.” Tony set the crown carefully in its box in front of Kitty. She lifted her head and touched the crown gently.

“It’s beautiful. Completely and utterly ridiculous, but beautiful. And you know what the bastard said?” She lifted the crown off the table and set it gently on her head. “He said he should’ve sent it this mornin’ so I could wear it to the restaurant. Because it matches my dress.”

“Look who’s a little princess.” Logan teased. Kitty whopped him on the shoulder playfully, careful to keep the crown from falling off.

“Open the other one.” Tony requested, handing the long box to Kitty.

“Well,” She started ripping the paper off. “If it’s anything like the tiara, I’ll have to send it back.”

It was a long case similar to the tiara’s, with stones set into the gold and velvet. Inside it lay a very large sword. The hilt matched her crown and the blade was incredibly sharp. Kitty tried to lift it, but found it to be heavier than she’d thought. Using both hands, and no small amount of determination, she managed to remove it from its case.

“A sword?” Logan raised his eyebrows. Kitty handed it to him, which he took in one hand, easily. It was made for someone his size, not hers, and she felt a twinge of jealousy at that.

“To go along with my tiara. Maybe he’ll send me an entire court! Or a castle!” Kitty suggested sarcastically as Logan passed the sword to Steve. “I mean, really. Who the hell does this guy think he is?”

“Well, at least it’s not a bomb.” Tony pointed out. He picked up the tiara’s box and examined it.

Kitty suddenly rose from her chair and walked into the kitchen, ignoring the confused expressions on her friend’s faces. She came back holding her cellphone, her attention focused on the small screen. Logan noticed that she was still wearing the tiara. She held the phone up to her ear, brushing a strand of hair out of the way.

“Hello, Ashley.” Kitty greeted coolly, going to great lengths to keep her voice level.

_“My sweet dahlia, how lovely it is to hear your voice!_” Ashley LeRoux beamed. “_I take it you have gotten your gifts then._”

“Yes, I have.” Kitty looked down at the floor, ignoring her friend’s prying eyes. “And I think it would be best if I returned them to you.” 

“_If you’d like to see me again, Kitty, you could just ask._” He informed her suggestively. “_You don’t have to pretend to want to return my gifts just to meet with me._”

“I’m not pretending.” Kitty argued. “The gifts are too extravagant and I can’t accept them. I won’t work for you, so you can have your “starting bonus” back.” Logan and Steve looked at Tony, alarmed at the comment.

She could hear Ashley sigh loudly on the other line. “_They were gifts, not startin’ bonuses._” She could almost see him rolling his eyes. “_I won’t take them back, cher._”

“They’re real.” She huffed, turning her back on the three men. “I can’t just keep them.”

“_Well, of course they’re real. I’m not goin’ to send a woman of your beauty and stature fake jewels, my dahlia. I saw the crown and thought of you, and how the sapphires match your strikin’ eyes. And the sword,_” Ashley laughed. “_I just assumed you would appreciate a finely crafted weapon._”

“This doesn’t change my mind,” She warned him. “I won’t work for you.”

“_You will._” The Southern man promised. “_Besides, I don’t think Mr. Stark will be employin’ you much longer. Or anyone else, for that matter._”

Kitty heard the click of the line going dead and she threw her phone as hard as she could.

“¡Ese bastardo! Ese gilipollas egoísta!” She screamed in rage, her face growing flushed.

Tony approached her slowly, his hands held out in front of him as if she was an animal that needed soothing.

“You know,” Logan started. “With that crown on, throwing a tantrum like that, you _really_ look like a little princess.”

“Not helping.” Steve growled.

Kitty shocked them all by laughing. She took off the crown and collapsed into a chair, her body shaking as she had a fit of hysterical laughter that she couldn’t seem to stop.

Tony, Steve, and Logan all exchanged looks of concern as Kitty continued her fit.

“Kitty?” Logan intoned, crouching down in front of her so he could look at her face. Tears were streaming down her face as the laughs turned into soft sobs.

“I don’t want to leave.” She whispered before wrapping her arms around Logan’s neck and burying her face in his shirt. “But I can’t let you guys get hurt.”

Logan looked up at Tony and Steve, unsure of what to do with a crying woman latched onto him. He cautiously placed his arms around her small frame, still slightly uncomfortable with the contact. “You’re going anywhere and no one’s hurt.” He murmured in her ear, tucking a lock of her golden hair behind her ear. “We’re all fine.”

She peeled her face off of Logan’s shirt and looked up to Tony with sad, teary eyes. “Why won’t he just leave us alone?” Logan’s arms were still wrapped around Kitty, but she managed to get an arm free to wipe away some of the tears. “For once, I’d like to just arrest or kill someone without them harassing me or threatenin’ my family!”

“He threatened you?” Steve asked, his eyes burning with rage.

“No,” Kitty shook her head. “He...threatened Tony. Well, kinda.” She glanced at Logan, whose face was closer than she expected. She looked back down at the floor and squeaked, “He said, “I don’t think Mr. Stark will be employin’ you much longer. Or anyone, for that matter.””

The atmosphere in the room shifted and Tony seemed to snap into motion. “We’ve got to get all the Avengers here, go on lockdown.”

Steve nodded curtly and Logan started giving suggestions from an X-Men point of view.

“Wait, what if that’s what he wants?” Kitty suggested, and all three men’s eyes flicked in her direction. “I mean, think about it,” She sat up straighter, a bit difficult with Logan’s arms still around her, but she liked the contact too much to move from the embrace. “All the Avengers all in one place. This guy’s job is to design and build bombs. He’s obviously got the money and knowledge to be a problem…” Her voice trailed off.

“What do you think?” Tony asked Steve, who was grounded to the spot. The blond looked at Kitty and Logan, then back to Tony.

“Deadpool and Peter are the only ones not here right now.” Steve informed them. “I say we call them in and see if they’ll stay. Banner is in Kenya and he’s probably safest there. Logan,” Wolverine’s head shot up at the mention of his name. “Are you willing to stay here tonight?”

He nodded.

“I’ll call Deadpool.” Kitty begrudgingly volunteered upon realizing that her concern was not going to be taken seriously. She untangled herself from Logan’s arms and stood up. “After I get out of this dress.”

She could hear the three men talking about the lockdown as she entered her accesscode before pressing the elevator button marked ‘6’. She got off the lift when it opened and crossed through her small living room. Kitty opened her bedroom door, her mind deep in thought. She stripped off the dress and slid on a pair of leggings and a tee shirt before washing off what little makeup was left on her face. Kitty unhooked the clasp on her necklace and shut it protectively in its box with the ring before placing it in a bureau drawer. She then sat perfectly still on her bed, staring straight ahead at the wall as her mind reeled over the events of the night.

_Maybe it’s all a dream, _she thought. _The crown, the sword. Hell, maybe even the fundraiser was all part of a dream. Some twisted Cinderella fantasy that I’m going to wake up from. Probably took a fatal hit from a baddie, now I’m hallucinating while I die. Or Loki is fucking with my head again. _She smiled softly. _That would explain why Logan was being uncharacteristically nice. _

“It’s not real,” She reasoned aloud, her voice lethargic. “This is all just a dream.” 

“Kitty? Are you okay?” Her head jerked up to look at Logan, who stood in the doorway with her gifts. “The door was open and I came to check on you.”

Kitty’s eyes were wide in confusion and she stammered, “Why wouldn’t I be?” Logan walked further into the room and stared at Kitty like she had grown three heads.

“It’s been over an hour since you came up here to change.” Logan informed her. “We figured you fell asleep or something. Have you just been sitting here the whole time?” He set down the crown’s box and the sword on her dresser.

She blinked several times, shaking her head slightly as she tried to figure where the time had gone. “But this is a dream.”

Logan’s eyebrows furrowed as he sat on the bed next to her. He cautiously raised a hand up to her forehead as if to see if she had a fever. “This isn’t a dream, Kitty.”

“Oh,” Kitty looked bewildered as she looked all around her room, as if not recognizing where she was. “Am I in the Tower?”

He looked at her in alarm. “I think maybe you should lay down.” Logan suggested, pulling at the covers on her bed. 

Kitty just blinked at him and said, “But I’ve got to call Deadpool.” 

“I’ll call him, you need to sleep.” He held up the covers while Kitty crawled under them, curling up on her side. 

“Are you staying here tonight?”

He nodded. “We’re going to take shifts, just to be safe. Stark is checking all of the computer systems. Said you thought there’s a bug somewhere. We’re sweeping the rooms, too.” 

“I’ll take a shift.” She offered, sitting up. Logan pressed her shoulder gently until she was laying back down. 

“Maybe after you sleep.” He rose from her bed and walked to the door before turning slightly. “Goodnight, Kitty.”

“Night, Logan.” Kitty mumbled into her pillow as unconsciousness washed over her.


	6. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

**The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly**

“She was just sitting on her bed, talking to herself.” Logan told Steve and Tony as they sat at the dining room table. Steve had made Tony eat and take a break from checking the computer programing. “Kept muttering about everything being a dream.” Logan rubbed his forehead. “What the hell does that even mean?” 

Tony shared a look with his partner. “Well, a guy gave her a crown and a sword. That does kinda sound unbelievable,” He pointed out before taking a bite of a sandwich. “And she’s never quite figured out why people show interest in her, so LeRoux’s obsession probably confuses the hell out of her.”

“She doesn’t know why people like her?” Logan asked, sitting down across from Steve and Tony. “Who doesn’t like her?”

“I think it’s her family.” Steve suggested, his eyes flashing like they do whenever someone talks of her past. “Her biological family,” He clarified. “She barely talks about them because they kicked her out of the house at thirteen, after years of abuse. That’s got to play a big part in it.” 

Logan had never heard what little stories she told about her birth family, so this news was shocking. “She was abused?” He felt a surge of anger at the people he had never even met. 

“She was in Special Forces with Deadpool as a teenager. The girl made a fake birth certificate saying she was eighteen.” Tony smiled softly, moderately proud of her. “Got the hell outta Dodge and I don’t think she’s ever been back.”

Logan glanced at the elevators, as if he could see her room from there. “I didn’t know.”

“Well, like I said, she doesn’t really talk about it. Sometimes, we get small bits and pieces, mostly if she’s really drunk.” Steve looked down at the table. “The worst part is that she doesn’t even realize how bad she had it.”

“What does _that_ mean?” Logan asked.

“She thinks things are normal when they aren’t.” Tony explained. “Like when she first came to the Avengers and I told her that she gets the sixth floor. She asked if it was a joke and if she was supposed to take the couch. And at dinner that night, we had to tell her that she can eat at the table with us. She was literally sitting in a corner with her plate in her lap.”

Logan’s eyebrows drew together and he looked at Steve, who nodded in confirmation.

“And if someone is yelling near her,” Steve continued. “There’s a split second where she looks absolutely terrified. The first time I yelled near her, she moved back like I was going to hit her. She expected me to hit her because I was yelling and frustrated.”

“She disappeared for about a week after that.” Tony said sadly. “Found her passed out on the floor of the med bay, covered in blood with three broken fingers and a bullet in her chest. She still won’t tell us where she went or what happened.”

“And it doesn’t matter who’s yelling,” Steve added. “But if its a man, it’s worse on her.”

“Took her a year to believe that this wasn’t an elaborate scheme to kill her in her sleep.”

Steve looked down with shame as he said, “The only reason why we know today is her birthday is because we hunted down her original birth certificate.” 

The atmosphere turned tense. “I’m going to go call Deadpool. I told her I would.” Logan said suddenly, unable to handle the silence. He crossed the room and picked up her phone that she had thrown. He stepped out into the hall to make the call. 

“Hola mi pequeña Louisiana.” Deadpool greeted. A shuffling sound was accompanied by static. “¿Te importa algún asesinato esta noche?” 

“It’s me, Deadpool.” Logan announced. 

“Why are you calling from her phone? Is she okay?” Deadpool asked worriedly. 

“Yeah, but we need you to come in. We’re putting the Tower on lockdown.” 

“This is about that Ashley thing, isn’t it?” Deadpool guessed. Logan could hear a quiet voice in the background ask who Ashley was. “I’ll be right in. Is everyone else there?”

“Yeah, we’re taking shifts. Kitty’s asleep right now. All we’ve got left to call is Parker.”

“Oh, he’s over here at my place.”

“Why?” Logan asked, moderately curious. He heard silence, then hushed whispers that he couldn’t make out.

“We’ll both be there in a bit.” Deadpool confirmed before abruptly hanging up. Logan looked down at Kitty’s phone, shaking his head.

He walked back to the kitchen and started rummaging through the pantry for a drink. He found a bottle of bourbon with a note on it that said, “Poisonous Substance, Do Not Ingest”. She had even drawn a biohazard sign on it. Logan scoffed, pulling off the note and pouring some into a glass.

“That’s Kitty’s.” Clint Barton pointed out as he opened up the fridge.

Logan held up the note and said, “I noticed,” before taking a long swig.

Clint rolled his eyes and shook his head as he took out a soda and shut the fridge. Leaning on the wall, he popped the tab and drank some. “You can’t die, can you?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “I just heal from everything.”

Clint nodded and took another sip, considering this information. “So if she shoots you in the head, you’ll just heal back?”

Logan blinked several times, then shrugged. “Well, yeah.”

“Good,” Clint concurred. “That’ll come in handy when she sees an empty bottle.” He left the kitchen, soda in hand, and Logan looked down at the amber colored liquid. He finished the rest of the glass before putting the bottle of bourbon safely back in the cupboard with it’s note.

Logan heard a commotion and left the kitchen to investigate. Peter Parker, also known as Spiderman, and Deadpool were in the front room, the latter being extremely loud. Deadpool was carrying a sleeping bag and holding a large bag of marshmallows.

“SLUMBER PARTY!” He yelled, plopping himself on one of the couches, causing Peter to roll his eyes. 

“Can you do anything quietly?” Peter asked the red and black clothed man.

“Nah,” He shook his head. “You especially should know that.” Peter hit Deadpool on the shoulder, a smile on his face.

“Hey, Kitty’s sleeping.” Logan told them harshly, and both immediately looked down in shame.

“No, she’s not.” Kitty disagreed, walking into the room. She yawned and sauntered past everyone into the kitchen. “Hey! Who the hell drank my bourbon?” Kitty asked, holding up the bottle.

Clint immediately pointed his finger at Logan, who whispered, “Snitch.” 

“That was my expensive shit!” Kitty grabbed the nearest, nonfatal object (which happened to be an ink pen) and threw it at Logan, hard. It flipped through the air as if it was a knife and hit Logan square on the head.

“Ow.” He complained, rubbing the spot that the pen hit. Deadpool erupted with laughter, and soon Peter, Tony, Steve, and Clint joined him. 

“Don’t touch my stuff.” She warned, wagging her index finger at him. Kitty turned back around to pour herself a cup of coffee as the laughter died down. She strolled into the dining area and sat down in her chair next to Tony.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Tony asked, taking the mug of coffee away from her and ignoring her squeak of protest. 

“How can I sleep when we’re havin’ a slumber party?” Kitty blinked her eyes innocently as she tried to grab her mug from Tony. 

“It’s not a slumber party,” Steve explained with a pointed look at Deadpool. “And you need to sleep.” 

She tried to stifle a yawn. “I’m not even tired.” Kitty rose from her chair and snatched her coffee mug back, taking a sip as she walked back to the lift. A few minutes later, she screamed, “GUYS!” Logan and Deadpool were the first ones up, nearly running into Kitty, who was zipping up the corset over her suit, in the hallway. “Turn on the T.V. NOW!” She yelled when they just stood there.

_“-here just two blocks away from Times Square,”_ A dark haired woman on the T.V. reported. “_And in case you haven’t been following the story, there is a terrorist threat right here in New York. The “Ice Arsonist”, as he has been called by police, has threatened to blow up Times Square, unless he is given ten million dollars by midnight tonight.”_

“I thought you guys took care of that douche.” Deadpool asked as he opened up his bag of marshmallows and popped one in his mouth. 

“We did.” Tony confirmed, watching the T.V. closely. Kitty sat down next to him and started reloading her gun.

_“The Ice Arsonist has been linked to twelve CO2 bombings and fires in the New York City, and was apprehended last July. Apparently, the Ice Arsonist escaped from a maximum security prison five months ago. They believe he was aided by bribing several guards, who are now suspended without pay, but they claim that they have no idea how he escaped._

_The Ice Arsonist says he will detonate the bomb if there is any change in foot or vehicle traffic at Times Square-“_

“And they didn’t think we needed to know this?” Kitty scowled as she ran her hand through her hair. “Well, we’ve got three hours till the deadline. Let’s go get us a fuckin’ bad guy!”

“Language.” Steve reminded her.

Kitty sighed, rolling her eyes downwards. “Let’s go get us a freakin’ bad guy.” She repeated in a monotone voice.

“And the answer is no,” Steve held up his hands. “You need to sleep, Kitty. We’ll handle this.” 

She looked up, her eyes burning with anger. “Like hell you guys are gonna go without me.” Kitty argued as she clipped on her leg holster before crossing her arms over her chest. “We’re on lockdown, remember? It’s either all of us, or none of us.”

Deadpool shook his head. “Just give up, man.” He advised Steve, who sighed loudly. “The Bride,” He nodded to Kitty. “She’ll win the fight eventually.”

“The Bride?” Steve was obviously very confused. He quickly turned to look at Tony and asked, “Kitty’s getting married?” Deadpool started laughing at the absurdity of his question. “Yep. Weddings in Texas with a guy named Bill.” He could barely contain himself as he choked out, “I suggest getting there _after_ the rehearsal, though.”

“Bill?” Steve looked down at Kitty and crossed his arms over his chest, not noticing the smiles around the room. “You’re getting married to a man named Bill that I’ve never met before?” He glanced up at Tony, who was laughing, and demanded, “Did you know about this?”  


“Uh, no. Definitely not getting married. It’s just a movie reference and technically, she wasn’t getting married to Bill, but that record store dude.” Kitty turned to Tony and said, “Add both volumes of Kill Bill to the list.”

“Really?” Tony asked, his eyebrows raised. “He couldn’t get through Deadpool’s movie and you think he could watch a Quentin Tarantino?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Kitty shrugged in agreement. “I guess Kill Bill is probably not the best for him.”

“So, you’re not getting married?” Steve clarified, still looking at Kitty.

“No.” Kitty smirked and shook her head. “Sorry, mom, but the likelihood of you two,” She nodded to Tony. “Walking me down an aisle is slim to none.”

“Why not?” Steve asked, slightly indignant.

Clint laughed loudly. “Could you imagine the person who could put up with her?” He waved his hand in Kitty’s direction. “I mean, the last one had to leave the country.”

“Hey!” Kitty complained, obviously upset at his comment. Her blue eyes were glossy as the words cut through her and she could hear Bruce Banner’s parting words to her. Logan turned his head and glared at Clint, who looked abashed and uncomfortable at her reaction.

“I’ll go get Nat.” Clint Barton volunteered quickly. Everyone went off to get suited up and Peter dragged Deadpool out to the hallway, leaving Kitty and Logan in the room.

Kitty sat at the table, so focused on picking at her nails that she didn’t notice when Logan sat down next to her.

“What’s wrong?” Logan set his feet on the kitchen table, balancing the chair on the back legs.

“Just because Bruce was my most serious relationship, and it ended badly, doesn’t mean I can’t have one.” Kitty shot, still hurt at Clint’s words. “And not all of the people I’ve dated left me like that.”

“I believe you.” Logan assured her.

“I broke up with some of them.” She said swiftly. “I broke up with Nikolai because he had a problem with Mutants.” Logan opened his mouth to speak, but Kitty cut him off. “And yes, Andy was cheating on me, but _I_ broke up with _her_! And just because I don’t wanna get married doesn't mean I wouldn’t like a serious relationship. I just find the practice of married outdated and-“

“Kitty.” Logan said softly, stopping her rant. “It was just a stupid comment. No one thinks that and it was shitty for him to bring up Banner like that.”

“He left the continent.” Kitty looked down and her eyes welled up with tears again. “Am I really that horrible, Logan?”

“No.” Logan shook his head. “You’re not horrible. It actually makes Banner an asshole, not you.”

Kitty tried to smile. She knew he was just trying to make her feel better, but her chest felt tight. Kitty turned to look at him, a sickening thought creeping into her mind. “What if this bomb threat is a diversion somehow? Or a trap?”

Logan set the chair down and stood up, digging in his pants pocket. Finally, he withdrew the small knife she had taken out of her top before the business meeting and handed it to her. “Then you’ll need this.”


	7. Rogue One

** Rogue One  **

The police had set up a perimeter two blocks from Times Square, and the police chief was not happy to see the Avengers. “Hey,” The robust man held up his hands in an attempt to stop them. “Hey, we doan’t need yuh guy's help.” The Violent Vixen, Wolverine, and Deadpool just breezed by him and the chief’s face turned purple. “Jus what do yuh tink you're doin', lady?” 

The Violent Vixen turned around and bat her eyes at the man before answering, “My job.” 

The man tried to get in front of the group, but his short, stubby legs weren’t very fast. “Look, lady, I need yuh tuh stop or I'll arrestcha fawh obstrucshun of justice.” He threatened, putting his hand on the Kitty’s shoulder. Logan turned around and growled as his claws slid out of his knuckles. He glared at the man until the officer backed off and removed his hand. 

“Logan.” Kitty said softly as she put her hand on his upper arm. His head jerked to look at her and she nodded down to his claws, which he begrudgingly retracted.

“We’ll take it from here.” Captain America told the man, who was still watching Wolverine with obvious fear. “Kitty, take Deadpool and Logan and go see if you can find the bomb. _Find_, not touch.” He stressed. 

“Are you sure-“

Steve cut Tony off by saying, “They can’t die and she has the most training for explosives.” 

Tony pressed his lips together, but remained silent on the matter.

“Tony, Clints, Natasha, Peter, and I will cover the perimeter looking for the Ice Arsonist.” Steve continued. “He always stays close by to watch his work.”

Kitty Vics nodded and the group split into two.

“If I were an incendiary device,” The Violent Vixen started. “Where would I be?” Her eyes fell on the Time Square High Rise, a forty-seven story building overshadowing West 41st Street. “Bingo.” She nodded at the building in front of them. 

“Fuck,” Deadpool cursed. “Why can’t they ever want to blow up strip joints?”

“We’re never that lucky.” Kitty pointed out as they set off for the Times Square High Rise. 

Deadpool caught sight of a group of puppies in an alley and instantly deterred from the path. “Ooh, look at the doggies!” He bounced over to the dogs, obviously very excited. Kitty and Logan reluctantly followed the mercenary to find him sitting on the road, two puppies crawling all over his lap. He looked up and whispered, “Can I have a puppy?”

One of the tiny dogs ran over to Logan and started pawing at his leg, demanding to be loved. Kitty bent down and pet the small, gold puppy before saying, “You can’t have a dog, Deadpool.”

“Why not?” He whined, hugging one closer to him. 

“Because you’d never be home to take care of it.” She stopped petting the dog, who promptly tried to get Logan’s attention again. “And that wouldn’t be fair to the dog.”

“What if Petey watched it when I was gone?”

“I said no, Wilson.” Kitty scolded Deadpool, who started pouting. The happy yipping of a puppy drew Kitty’s attention away from the mercenary. She turned and saw Logan holding the puppy that wouldn’t leave him alone. “Oh, not you too!” Logan looked up at her like he had been caught stealing a cookie before dinner and Kitty couldn’t help but sigh. “Terrorist. Bomb. Ice Arsonist. Any of this ringing a bell?” She asked them as she scratched Logan’s puppy behind its ear.

“Fine.” Deadpool pouted, giving the fluffy puppy a kiss before he stood up. 

Logan set down his puppy and started to walk away when they noticed it following him. “Sit.” The puppy cocked its head to the side and sat down. “Stay.”

The puppy watched sadly as they walked off without him.

“What are we looking for?” Logan asked Kitty, the only one in the group who had had first hand experience with the Ice Arsonist. 

“The Ice Arsonist likes to make his bombs in suitcases or backpacks, surrounded by dry ice, usually in warm environments. That way, when it detonates, the dry ice turns into a gas and…” She made an exploding motion with her hands. “We think he uses remote triggers on them so he can watch from afar but not be injured.”

“Okay,” Logan nodded. “This building has forty-seven stories and there’s only three of us.” He pointed out, looking up at the enormous building in front of them. 

“My plot senses are tingling.” Deadpool stated as they opened up the door. It was very bright and open in the building with office plants and small trees. A desk sat in the middle of the foyer with a blonde woman typing furiously on the computer. 

“Hello, can I help you?” The receptionist asked in a bored voice, not even glancing up from her laptop. She had a Donald Trump bobblehead next to a small orchid, and Deadpool couldn’t stop himself from tapping it multiple times on the head. The woman huffed and looked up angrily. “Please don’t touch that.”

”Hi,” Kitty beamed, trying to appear friendly while wearing a black catsuit and a gun holster. “We’re just visiting and we’d like to have a little tour of the building.” Logan smiled, trying to look like an unknowing tourist. 

The woman sighed, looking down at her freshly manicured nails. “We only give tours on the first of every month and they’re by appointment only. Besides, we definitely don’t do tours this late at night.” The Violent Vixen glanced up at Logan, then over to Deadpool. 

“Ohh…” The Vixen trilled. She pulled out her gun and pointed it at the young woman. “Would you consider an exception?” The woman screamed and Kitty fought very hard to not roll her eyes. “If you’ve got a panic button, I’d suggest you press it.” The receptionist frantically searched her desk before slamming her hand down on a small knob on the underside of the desk, causing a high pitched alarm to ring through the building. 

“Please, don’t hurt me! I’m getting married next month and we’ve already put down the deposit-” The young woman stuttered, raising her hands up in the air.

“I honestly have absolutely no desire to hurt you. We just needed the building evacuated.” Kitty smiled and winked, terrifying the woman further. Several business men and woman ran out the front entrance, paying no attention to the gun she was pointing at the receptionist. “Now, does the building have a basement or storage closet?”

“No,” The woman shook her head, the amount of hairspray kept her short, bleached hair from moving. “I mean, there’s a boiler room that we use for storage, but it's on this floor.”

“Where is it?”

The woman pointed them in the direction of a large room in the very back of the building that held the heating equipment. When Deadpool opened the door, the heat hit them immediately and a trickle of sweat ran down the Violent Vixen’s forehead. They pressed their backs up against the wall next to the door.

“Fuck, it’s hotter than Blake Lively in that shark movie. You guys see that one?” Deadpool asked, drawing out of his guns and holding it down by his side. 

The Vixen snuck a glance into the boiler room. “She’s pretty, but you know blondes aren’t really my thing. Salma Hayek, though, I wouldn’t find being…Oh, damn, what’s the word...” She struggled, trying to think. “Amigovio with her.” “Amigovio?” Logan raised his eyebrows.

“Like a...Friends with benefits thing.” Deadpool explained the best he could. “There’s no actual translation.” 

“Anyways, not important. No more distractions. Let’s go.” 

Wolverine’s claws slid out of his knuckles and he looked to the Violent Vixen. She nodded, letting him take lead. Deadpool followed right behind her, gun ready to fire.

The heat was almost unbearable in the dim room as Kitty checked behind a large piece of machinery. “Clear.”

Logan took the right side, searching for the bomb, but it was Deadpool who found the briefcase hiding behind an air duct.

The group crowded around it and the Violent Vixen’s heart skipped a beat. She pressed the mic on her wrist. “Tony, we found the bomb. It’s in the boiler room of the Times Square High Rise.”

“I take it you’re the mad woman with the gun?” Tony’s voice rang through Kitty’s earpiece and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Who else could it be?” She asked, her eyes focused on the bomb. The open, brown suitcase that housed the bomb looked oddly familiar. Kitty shook off the feeling of nostalgia and concentrated on studying the bomb itself. “I’m going to try to disarm it.” 

“Don’t you dare.” Tony threatened. “Bomb Squad will be there in five minutes, make sure the building is evacuated then you guys get the hell out of there.” 

“Sorry, dad. Timer says we’ve got two minutes, forty-three seconds and counting.” She tried to smile and joke, despite their grim situation. “Plus, I actually passed that part of training.” 

“I didn't.” Deadpool informed them loudly and Logan just shook his head.

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Logan said.

Meanwhile, Tony felt frustration clawing at him. “Kitty, _no_.” 

“Kitty, _yes_.” She argued firmly.

“Kitty Stark, you listen to me.” Tony growled. “If you stay to disarm that bomb, you will die. And if the bomb doesn’t kill you, I sure as hell will.” 

“Well, then you better say somethin’ real pretty at my funeral, Tony Stark, because I’m not goin’ anywhere.” 

Logan watched as the Vixen got down on her knees in front of the suitcase. He could hear the faint sounds of Tony’s objections coming from her earpiece before she ripped it out of her ear and clipped it to the top of her corset.

“Looks like it's surrounded by dry ice, like usual.” The Violent Vixen carefully examined the wires in the briefcase. She looked up at the two men. “No chance you guys have any extra gloves? Dry ice’ll give a nasty chemical burn if touched by bare skin.” Both shook her heads and Kitty cursed. “I need to start wearing gloves.” She took out the small knife that she tried to sneak into her meeting with Ashley and pressed the button on the side.

“Is that a switchblade? Alright, Vics!” Deadpool high-fived the Violent Vixen, who couldn’t help but laugh at his excitement over her illegal weapon. “Hey, who’s Keanu Reeves and who’s Jeff Daniels?”

Kitty chuckled. “You are sooo Jeff Daniels.”

“But I wanna be Keanu Reeves!

“Logan, who’s Keanu Reeves from Speed, me or Sarge?”

Logan looked Deadpool in the eyes and said, “Kitty’s Keanu.”

“Told ya so.” Kitty returned her focus on the bomb. “Let’s see...three wires...each color coded…”

“Isn’t it normally two in the movies?” Deadpool asked. The Violent Vixen and Wolverine stared at him. “Ya know, the red wire and the blue wire?” 

“This one’s got a red and blue, with a purple in the back.” She informed them as the timer clicked quietly to two minutes, thirty-one seconds. “Any ideas?”

“Maybe we should listen to Stark,” Logan suggested. “Wait for bomb squad.”

“We don’t exactly have that time,” The Kitty reminded them as she looked him in the eyes. “But you two can go if you want, I completely understand.”

“No fucking way, Vics.” Deadpool said certainly. Logan stayed rooted to the spot and the Vixen turned her attention back to the bomb.

“That’s about what I thought. Fuck, I wish this was a mercury switch. Those, I understand. I don’t understand this three wire bullshit. Now, red, purple, or blue?” She muttered to herself.

“_Dun dun dun da dada, de da doo de da doo de da doo do…_”

”Is that the ‘Mission Impossible’ theme song?” Kitty asked Deadpool, who was still humming.

“What? I thought it was fitting.”

Kitty rolled her eyes and set to the task at hand. “Whoever wrote this chapter should die.” The red and blue wires looped around before hooking firmly into the device. The purple wire wove around it, but Kitty couldn’t tell where or what it was latched to. “Fuck it.” She grabbed the purple wire and cut through it, closing her eyes tightly as she did so. After a moment of silence, she opened them to see the clock still steadily counting down. “Dammit.” The Violent Vixen cursed. 

“Now, now, you didn’t really think it’d be that easy, did you?” A voice rang from the door. The man wore a deep blue suit with black armor covering most of his body. His face was fully covered by dark fabric, but it didn’t take much to figure who it was. The Ice Arsonist had joined the party.

Deadpool immediately tried to shoot the man, but the Arsonist vanished and rematerialized behind him. He hit Deadpool in the back of the head before dodging an attack by Logan. He disappeared again and Kitty pressed her back to Logan’s, looking in every direction for the Arsonist.

“Where the fuck is he?” She demanded, holding her gun by her side. They heard laughter in the hallway outside the boiler room and exchanged glances.

“I’ll stay, try to disarm the bomb.” The Violent Vixen started to protest, but Deadpool cut her off. “I’ll survive it, Louisiana. You won’t.” Deadpool told the Vixen, who reluctantly nodded. 

“Ten cuidado, hombre guapo,” She told her friend before turning to Logan. “Let’s go.” 

They ran out of the boiler room to the now empty atrium. The Ice Arsonist was leaning up against the wall, appearing very nonchalant with his arms crossed over his broad chest. 

“Finally,” He gushed. “I’m glad you could join me.” The Violent Vixen tried to push back a feeling of familiarity with his voice to focus on the mission. She pointed her gun at him, but the bullet just barely grazed him as he dematerialized. He showed up behind her, tapping her on the shoulder and punching her face when she turned. She recovered quickly, swiftly elbowing him in the throat before kicking him in the stomach. Logan tried to claw the Arsonist, but they just slashed through the empty air as he disappeared yet again. 

“Over here!” He taunted in front of the main doors. Kitty ran towards him, shooting in that direction. The bullets hit the wall and she stood by the door, looking around madly for the villain. She couldn’t see Logan either, and the idea of her being alone sent chills down her spine. 

“It's showtime, my dahlia,” The Ice Arsonist told the Vixen as the blue figure appeared in front of her. Her eyes widened in shock, but before she had time to react, Ashley LeRoux kicked her in the chest. Then, she heard the explosion.

—x-

The bomb ticked steadily and Deadpool was sweating inside his suit as he kneeled down and stared at the bomb. 

“**Holy shit**,” White cursed in Deadpool’s head. “**We should’ve paid more attention in that class**.”

Deadpool mentally agreed with White as his hand slipped and his gloves touched the dry ice. 

“Maybe we should do what Logan said,” Yellow suggested. “Check the building for citizens, get the fuck outta here.” 

“Yeah,” Deadpool nodded, standing up. “We’ll do that.” He ran out of the room and up the nearest staircase. 

“Hey! Anyone here?!” He yelled, waiting to hear if anyone responded from that level. When no one answered, he continued back up the stairs. On the fourteenth floor, someone actually answered. 

“Who are you?” The young man asked, a large pile of paperwork in his hands. The man was in a nice, tailored suit with a pair of glasses perched on his sharp nose. “You’re not supposed to be on this level!” 

“Why are you here? Didn’t you hear the goddamn alarm go off?” Deadpool asked the man. “There's a fucking _bomb_ in the _building_!”

The man’s face blanched and he looked ill. “I, I thought,” He said fearfully. “It was just, just one of those tests. I didn’t think, I mean, didn't know it was actually serious.” 

“It’s fucking serious!” Deadpool screamed. “Any minute now, the bomb is going to explode-” 

And then, 

there was nothing. 


	8. Diamonds Are Forever

** Diamonds Are Forever  **

Kitty’s eyes flew open, but she couldn’t quite figure out where she was or how she got there. She couldn’t tell how long she sat there with her fuzzy mind before she decided to walk herself through the facts. It was something that Deadpool taught her while in Special Forces for when things just didn’t seem right and at that moment, everything was most assuredly not right.

_Let’s start off easy. My name is A-Ah no. Kitty. My name is Kitty. Kitty Stark-Wait, no, fuck. That ain’t right. I’m...Uh, Kitty...Vixen Stark...Kitty...Stark-Oh, fuck. Eh, close enough. _She told herself. _I’m a mercenary. No-no that’s wrong. _Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to correct herself._ I’m an… Avenger. _She felt a smile across her face. _ I’m an Avenger and the Times Square High Rise just exploded._

_(Narrator: “Now, for the harder stuff.”)_

Her ears were ringing and her vision blurred. She looked around and tried to recognize her surroundings, but all she could tell for certain was that it was still dark. Even when her eyes were open, all Kitty saw was darkness. She blinked several times, trying to clear the ash that seemed to be burning into her eyes. Eventually, her vision cleared.  


_(Narrator: “Paso dos completo.”)___

_ __ _

_ __ _

She could feel that she was laying partially under a bed of rubble and there was a thick sheet of smoke covering the entire area. The heavy smoke filled her lungs, searing them like a fire from the inside. It felt like her lungs were rattling, but she couldn’t hear the weezing. Ashes fell like snow around her, so much softer than the rubble biting into her skin.

A small part of her brain screamed about Ashley LeRoux being the mastermind behind this. It was also thinking of ways to kill him, but Kitty told herself that in order to do that, she would have to get up. 

Kitty figured it must have been only a few minutes before sun up as she watched color splash across the sky through the small gaps in the smoke. She groaned; Just what she needed was a headache from the sun. Kitty slowly began to remove the sections of stone and road off her body so she could move. After attempting to get up, Kitty found herself incredibly exhausted and frustrated at being unable to perform the simple task. She glanced down and saw that a street sign was pinning down her legs. Kitty held her breath and pushed it off, then laid back down, gasping. All of Kitty’s strength was gone and even breathing seemed to be too much work.

Kitty’s tired eyes wandered until they rested on an odd, gold shape bouncing near her. It took her a minute to realise that it was the puppy that tried following Logan before they went into the Times Square High Rise. It licked Kitty’s cheek before laying down next to her, nuzzling its head under her hand.

“Go. Go find him.” Kitty croaked as she started to cough violently. When the fit passed, she patted the dog on its head the best she could. “Go get Logan.” The puppy whined and Kitty pled, “Please, you’ve got to find him. He’ll help me...He can help.” The puppy got up and licked her face again before running off.

She was aware of a deep, throbbing pain in her left leg and a burn in her lungs as she sat there, gasping for air. A scorching sensation licked its way up her back and shoulders. This temporarily distracted her. Kitty lay there for a few minutes, trying to assess how bad her injuries were. A stream of hot liquid flowed over her eye and she moved her hand to wipe it. Dazed, she noticed that it was blood coming from a deep gash on her scalp. Kitty’s head felt too heavy for her body and the entire idea of getting up seemed incredibly impossible. She stopped her efforts to remove more of the rubble crushing her body and just stayed there.

_Maybe I’ll just lay here forever, _she mused. Her eyes slid closed and she concentrated on breathing in and out, but her breaths were ragged and she started coughing. _I hope Tony will be okay without me,_ Kitty thought._ He’ll never forgive me._ Tears pricked at Kitty’s eyes and she coughed again._ He’ll never forgive himself._

The ringing sound in her ears grew and she pressed one of her hands to her head, trying to dull the excruciating pain. Kitty cried out, but that only made the pain worse. Eventually, the ringing eased and her thoughts became coherent again. Kitty raised her hand to her ear and started snapping her fingers, trying to test her hearing. She could barely hear it, but could tell there were vibrations. She wondered if this was how Clint Barton felt without his hearing aids. Kitty made a mental note to ask him if she ever found the strength to get up. Concentrating very hard, she could make out a faint buzzing noise and eventually she realized that her earpiece was still hooked to her corset. Kitty considered ignoring it, but then she thought of Tony and Steve. Her brain produced pictures of the two of them standing above the coffin, both in suits and supporting red rimmed eyes. A soldier handed Tony a folded flag and saluted him before joining the ranks. She felt a surge of adrenaline course through her as she reached for the earpiece clipped securely on her corset. Kitty raised it to her ear but quickly pulled it away when the sound sent shocks of pain through her ears. She ignored it long enough to try to sort through the static sound coming through the ear set. Finally, Kitty gathered the energy to sit up and press the button on her arm piece. 

“Hello? Is anyone there?” She gasped. Kitty still couldn’t hear herself well enough to know she was screaming into her arm mic. “Hello? Can anyone hear me?”

“_Kitty? Kit, is that you?!_” It sounded like Tony was whispering but she finally figured out the gist of what he was saying through the static. “_Are you okay? Please, please tell me you’re okay._”

”Tony, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, dad, I fucked up.” Kitty cried hysterically, her breathing ragged. “We shouldn’t have stayed, it was a trap. It was gonna explode anyway, and Ashley, he-“

“_It’s okay. There’s nothing to be sorry about, Kit. Calm down, breathe, and try to concentrate. I need to know if you’re okay._” Tony said slowly. “_Are you hurt?”_

Kitty was still crying as she said, “I’m sorry! Please don’t hate me, I love you guys so much-“ 

“_It’s alright, Kit, calm down. We don’t hate you,_” Tony assured her. “_We still love you, but I need you to calm down and concentrate. Logan and Steve are trying to find you, but there’s a lot of debris. Kitty, listen: Where are you?_” He asked, and Kitty found herself wondering the same thing.

She looked around, trying to recognize her surroundings, but honestly, everything just looked grey. She saw why her leg was bothering her so much, though. A large piece of jagged metal had embedded itself deep into her calf, with blood oozing steadily around it. Kitty fought off the desire to remove the metal shard, knowing that if she did, she would lose too much blood. Then she really wouldn’t be able to kick Ashley’s ass. 

She finally remembered her reason for sitting up and tried to concentrate. Kitty pressed her ash covered finger on the arm cuff again and calmly spoke into it. “Hey, dad? I think I’ve been blown up.” Was all she could manage before falling back into the rubble.

Kitty Vics was drowning in a dark sea of unconsciousness. Her lungs burned with every breath and there were many times when she wondered why she was still taking such painful measures. It all seemed pointless. Breathing was supposed to soothe the burn, but for some reason, it was the cause. Excruciating pain radiated from her leg; Even her slit throat hadn’t hurt this much. Kitty could hear the Beatles song “Let It Be” and it suddenly dawned on her...She was dying. She reasoned that this was it. This is how she would die. She couldn’t help but be disappointed that her death would be from a bomb made by a man wearing blue tights.

_Well_, Kitty thought. _Just barely made it to twenty-five. Wasn’t expecting that. Five years longer than I’d figured. That's not too bad._ She felt more tears roll down her face and she closed her eyes. Her face softened and appeared serene as she lay there. _The movies got it wrong. I’m not cold. I’m actually quite warm, like when I’ve downed a bottle of tequila. I’ll miss tequila. _ She felt her chest sink and it was hard to think. _And warmish...Warmish like Tony and Wilson and Steve and Logan and Bucky...and Bucky and…_ And she took her last breath.

_“Whisper words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me, let it be…Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.”_

There was what felt like a huge rock being dropped on her chest and her fuzzy mind tried to tell her that something else was wrong. Surely this much pain couldn’t just be coming from her leg. The crushing sensation happened again; Sharp jabs to her chest that seemed to be intent on crushing her into dust. Kitty couldn’t help but wonder if someone was stabbing her in the chest, over and over and over and over again. _Isn’t being blown up enough?_ She silently asked the person. _Just let me go in peace, you sadistic bastard_. 

_“And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be...Whisper words of wisdom, let it be...And when the night is clouding, there is still a light that shines on me. Shines until tomorrow, let it be…”_

Kitty heard what sounded like a dog barking off in the distance followed by some shouting. There were whispers everywhere but trying to make out their words was impossible. Still, she found the buzzing comforting; Familiar. Kitty felt herself drifting off, getting lost in the sounds. Her mind had almost wandered into the black when the crushing sensation happened again. The pain in her leg seemed to dull slightly and the sounds became clearer. Kitty figured out that she really liked listening to the voice calling her name...

“KITTY!” She felt someone beating on her chest and she silently begged the person to just let her sleep. “KITTY! COME ON, WAKE UP!” There was more steady thumping, then she felt someone touching her lips. Kitty felt confused and frustrated on why someone would be kissing her at a time like this. 

_Who the fuck wants to kiss a corpse?_

“WAKE UP, GODDAMMIT!”

Thump thump thump thump

_Another kiss. What a pervert._

Thump thump thump 

After realising that she would not be allowed to sleep, Kitty reluctantly opened her eyes for the insistent voice and found that she was looking up at Logan. His face blurred in and out, but it was definitely him. His mouth turned up into a dazzling smile then started to move. Kitty could tell that Logan was speaking to her, but it sounded like they were underwater.

“What?” She asked, confused as she got a good look at him. Logan was covered in soot and his hair was messed up, much to Kitty’s delight. She raised her hand and weakly touched his hair, a dopey smile crossing her face. Her hand slid down to cup Logan’s cheek and she softly ran her thumb over his cheekbone. _It’s not a bad sight to see before you die_, Kitty thought. 

He had dried blood on him, but Kitty couldn’t figure out where it came from. Logan covered her hand with his, and she idly noticed that both of his hands were also covered in blood, but this was fresh and bright red. It didn’t even occur to Kitty that it was her blood coating his body. “You...You’re bloody… It’s, just, it’s everywhere…” She sputtered, trying to wipe the red off of his face. “You’re hurt? You, you’re not supposed to get hurt, Logan, why...I don’t understand-” 

“I’m fine, Kitty. I’m fine.” Logan grabbed her hand to get her to stop frantically trying to clean off his face. “This isn’t my blood, I’m fine. Kitty, calm down.” He assured her before asking, “Can you move?”

“Why would I want to?” She hoarsely muttered, dropping her hand to her side and making no effort to sit up. “I think I’ll stay right here, thank you very much. Didja know you’ve got such beautiful eyes? And a beautiful voice? Beautiful Logan...” Kitty cooed before she started coughing, her chest jolting up as blood leaked out of her mouth. 

“She’s in shock.” A voice to her right said, and she turned her head the best she could to look at the figure. It was Steve, still dressed in his Captain America suit, leaning over her. “We need to get her out of here.”

“Anyone ever tell you that you kinda look like an angel?” Her question to Steve was slurred and her eyes slid shut again. “Who knew I’d be lucky enough to have angels watchin’ over me as I die.”

“No, no, no.” Logan nagged, trying to help her sit up. “You’re not dying. We just need to get you up so we can get you to the medics.” He moved his arm and accidentally bumped the metal piece piercing Kitty’s calf. Her eyes scrunched together as pain coursed through her leg and she screamed before losing consciousness. She could hear a voice calling to her and if it was someone else, she would have just stayed asleep. “Kitty, come on, wake up. I’m sorry. Please wake up.” Logan pled as her eyes fluttered open again.

“We’ve got to move her, she’s losing too much blood.” Steve told Logan, who visibly winced when she started crying. 

“Kitty, please stop crying,” Logan ran his hand over her hair before wiping a tear off her cheek. “I need you to calm down. Try to stop crying, Kitty.”

Kitty’s mind reminded her that crying won't help anything. It would just dehydrate her further and make her throat more sore and her head worse. But she couldn’t make the tears stop as pain radiated through every inch of her. “I’m so s-sorry, Looogan, it just huuurts.” 

“Should I pick her up?” Logan asked, trying to decide the best way to lift her.

“We can’t risk jarring the metal piece again. She won’t survive losing any more blood.” Steve shook his head. “We’ll see if she can limp with her arms around us, that way she can keep the leg from touching anything.”

“Rogers, I don’t think she can-“

“It'll keep her awake, Logan.”

“She’ll be in pain!”

“Which will keep her from-“

Kitty hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation. Instead, she had been trying to find the words to describe how hurt and confused she was. “Logan,” Kitty cried, trying to get her eyes to focus on him. “Logan,” He finally stopped his spat with Steve to look down at her. “My head feels funny. It, it feels funny and wrong, I’m cold and I ain’t okay.”

“I know,” Logan shrugged off his brown leather jacket and handed it to Steve. “I know, Kitty.” He laced his arm around her waist and lifted her up on her good foot. He took his jacket from Steve and slid it on her small, shivering body. Logan then helped her wrap an arm around his neck and put the other around Steve’s neck. “We’re going to get you fixed up, okay?” 

They lifted her to her feet and shower of glass fell from her bloody hair. Kitty wretched her arm out from Steve and felt the back of her head with her hand. She stared at her bloody hand, the confusion crashing over her like a wave as she tried to understand why her head felt raw. Kitty looked around, trying to figure out what else was wrong.

“Wilson.” She whispered to herself. Her head felt like it was being ripping into two but she knew that someone was missing from the party. “WILSON!” Kitty tried to focus her eyes on Logan, but her vision still blurred. “WHERE’S WILSON, HE’S NOT HERE!”

“Shh, Kitty, you don’t have to yell. Calm down,” Steve tried to comfort her, but Kitty was crying and shaking. “We haven’t found him yet, but we’ve got Peter and Clint looking for him, okay? Please, you’ve got to calm down.” Steve answered as he helped her wrap one of her arms around his neck to help support her. Kitty gasped as more pain spread through her body and she saw dark spots floating around. “I need you to concentrate on walking, okay?”

Logan caught her after she took a step forward and stumbled, her eyes sliding shut again. Her skin was cold and pale and she was shivering as her breathing caught in her throat. “Hey, hey,” Logan lightly tapped her cheek to wake her up as he held Kitty’s limp body in his arms. “Kitty? Kitty, I need you to open your eyes. Just open your eyes for me.” Her eyes slowly opened, her eyelids fluttering as she fought to keep them from closing. “There you go. No, no,” Logan nagged. “Stay awake for me. Just stay awake so we can get you to some medics.” He got her upright again and they took another step, but Kitty started coughing and her head felt woozy.

“Logan, it hurts.” Kitty cried as she spit blood out of her mouth. “Everythin’ hurts and I just, I wanna sleep.” 

“I know, I know,” Logan nodded and contemplated picking her up. “But I can’t let you sleep. The paramedics are just over there and they’ll fix you up then you can sleep in the hospital.” 

“I’m cold.” Kitty cried as she took a step forward, her eyes trained on Logan. “I just want to go home, Logan. This,” She laughed softly. “_This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on._” Kitty sang. “That’s such a good song. Hey,” She looked up at Logan and smiled weakly. “You were alive back in ‘66.”

“Yeah,” Logan nodded, hoping that talking would distract her long enough to get to safety. “I remember when it came out. I was over in Vietnam.”

“I’m dying and a goddamn Beach Boys song is goin’ through my head.” Kitty coughed and Logan pulled his jacket more securely around her. “How depressing.”

“You’ll be alright, Kitty,” Steve tried to reassure her, but she was losing a lot of blood and he couldn’t keep fear from seeping into his voice. She leaned on him and started coughing, covering her mouth with her hand as more blood flowed from her mouth.

She stumbled again and Logan said, “That’s it, Rogers, I’m picking her up.” He bent down and geared to scoop her up when:

“You can’t pick her up without hitting the leg,” Steve pointed out. Logan paused. “The faster we get her to the medics, the faster they can fix her.” 

“Okay,” Logan nodded and he straightened back up. “Okay, let’s go.”

Kitty limped, most of her weight being supported by Logan and Steve, over the rubble and ruins of the Times Square High Rise. She tried to remember the events leading up to the explosion. One word kept floating through her mind, but it always seemed out of grasp. She knew the word, but every time she reached for it, it slipped away. She concentrated all her energy on the word, desperate to pluck it from her foggy mind. _One word_, she told herself. _One word, and I can solve this._

dahlia dahlia dahlia dahlia dahlia 

“Dahlia.” She finally said out loud, breathing a sigh of relief.

“What?” Steve asked, looking over her head at Logan for an explanation. Logan shook his head, just as confused as Steve. 

“Ashley LeRoux is the Ice Arsonist.” Kitty informed them, her lungs aching and her throat raw. She fell into a fit of coughing and the two men had to stop until she could move again.

“Are you sure it was LeRoux?” Logan asked her as they reached the edge of the damage caused by the explosion. 

“Pretty sure.” 

There was a police blockade where Tony and Natasha stood, deep in conversation. Tony caught sight of the three of them limping out of the damage and ran over to them.

“Kit!” Tony wrapped his arms around her the best he could. “Don’t you ever fucking do that again. Do you hear me?” He brushed some of her bloodied hair off her face and repeated softly, “Don’t do that to me again.”

“Sorry, dad.” Kitty smiled slightly as she patted his head with her hand. “Mmmsosorry.” Her voice drifted off and her body, still being held up by Logan and Steve, went limp.

“Hey!” Tony yelled to the medics across the way. “Can we get some help over here?” 

“You got her?” Steve asked as he helped wrap Kitty’s arm around Tony’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” Tony nodded. “Yeah. Go help Peter.” He looked down at Kitty, whose eyes were still closed. Her chest movement was so shallow that Tony couldn’t tell if she was breathing. “Kit?” He tapped her cheek and looked up at Logan with a worried face. “Kitty, open your eyes. The medics are coming, but you’ve got to open your eyes.”

“You guys,” Kitty gasped, her eyes opening to see Tony’s terrified face. “Are so fuckin’ unreasonable.”

“There she is.” Logan smiled proudly.

A team of paramedics ascended on them, helping Kitty into the back of an ambulance. She sat on the edge of the bus while a paramedic wiped some of the blood off her forehead with a damp gauze pad. An O2 mask was immediately strapped to her face, much to her displeasure. 

“We’re going to have to transport you as soon as possible.” The medic explained as another one examined her leg. “It definitely penetrated the bone, and judging the amount of blood on both you and your friends, I’m going to guess you’ve lost at least two liters, but probably more.” He looked over to Logan and Tony. “You said she’s been coughing up blood?” Logan nodded as Kitty pulled his jacket tighter around her. “You might have pierced a lung. I don’t even know how you’re alive at all, honestly. The combination of everything is fatal.”

Kitty removed the O2 mask and sighed loudly, as if this greatly burdened her. “Do I have to go to the hospital?” 

“Yes.” Tony drew out the word and nodded his head at Kitty slowly. “Transport her. Now.” He told the main paramedic, who nodded before he set to work picking out the glass shards from her scalp with a pair of tweezers. Kitty rolled her eyes at Tony, who snapped the oxygen mask back on her. She caught sight of a red and black cloaked figure limping towards them. 

“SARGE!” Kitty yelled, pulling off the oxygen mask. She tried to slide off the ambulance so she could see him, but Logan held her back. He attempted to put her O2 mask back on, but she just batted him away. “SARGE!” Kitty started coughing again, her body shaking violently with the action. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she continued the fit. 

Logan pulled her back into the ambulance and kept her pressed to his body. He brushed aside a piece of hair stuck to her forehead and shuddered; Her skin was like ice. An EMT set a stethoscope to her back and tried to listen to her gasping.

“Miss, we’re going to have to transport you right now.” The EMT said, passing the stethoscope to the main paramedic to listen to. “Mary!” He called over his shoulder to the driver. “Mary, start the truck! We’re going to have to take her right now! Make sure they’ve got an OR prepped and ready, she’ll need immediate surgery.”

“Pero tengo..que hablar con él.” She waved her hand at them. 

“Miss, you’re drowning in your own blood. It’s urgent that we transport you-” 

Deadpool staggered over to the ambulance and sat down next to Kitty. His entire left arm was missing, as well as several fingers on his right hand and an ear. Most of his suit had torn into pieces, showing off his scarred and burned skin. He clutched at his stomach with what was left of his right hand, and it suspiciously looked like he was holding in his intestines. 

“Hey, Louisiana.” He said simply, laying his head against the edge of the ambulance.

“Man,” Kitty wiped off some of the blood that dripped down over her eye. “You look like how I feel.” 

Deadpool laughed as he swatted his stump of an arm at a paramedic. “I’m fine.” Deadpool shrugged off the chief medic, who looked very flustered and angry. “I’ll heal everything back in like, a day.”

“Sir! You’re grievously injured and in shock. Please let me help you.” The man pled. Deadpool yanked up one sleeve to show him that the cuts and abrasions were already stitching themselves together. Even the deeper ones were reconnecting the muscle and tissue at an alarming rate. 

“Wish I could heal like that.” Kitty poked at a tear in Logan’s shirt from a piece of shrapnel. Her finger brushed against his smooth, healed skin and she felt him shiver. 

“I wish you did, too.” Logan looked down at her and sighed. 

“I want to go home, dad.” Kitty whispered to Tony, her head feeling too heavy again as she leaned on Logan. “No quiero morir....No me dejes morir, Logan.” She closed her eyes, not even noticing when Logan scooped her up and set her down gently on the gurney. Tony rode with her to the hospital.


	9. I Swear This Time, I Mean It

** I Swear This Time I Mean It  **

The bed that Kitty woke up in was uncomfortable. It was hard and the bedding felt scratchy, which meant one thing: Hospital. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking at the harsh lighting that seemed to burn in her eyes. Her lungs still ached, and she felt a cannula feeding her oxygen through her nose. The ringing in her ears had quieted, but they felt numb and alien to her. 

She saw Logan asleep in a chair in the corner and looked around to see if there was anyone awake. There were no clocks that Kitty could see, so she measured time by the amount of breaths she took. After ninety-three breaths, Kitty decided that waking up Logan would be her only chance to alleviate the boredom. She saw a pen laying innocently on a tray and had to stifle a laugh at the irony. Kitty tried to lift her left arm, but it felt very heavy and unfamiliar. Cautiously, she wiggled her fingers one by one to make sure that she could. While she was at it, she checked her toes, too. One of her legs was wrapped up in something that looked like a cast, but there were metal bars surrounding both sides. Kitty decided to come back to that later.

Once she had completed that, she turned her attention back to the pen as she strained to stay quiet while lifting her arm. She grasped the pen in her left hand, pausing to rest before she threw it. Kitty knew it would take most of her strength to throw the pen across the room to accurately hit Logan, and felt if she was going to do it, she was going to do it right. After thirty-five breaths, she lifted her arm and threw the pen. It soared through the room and hit Logan square in the chest, successfully waking him up from his slumber. She slumped back down a little, feeling her energy drain from that simple act. 

“Nice throw.” Tony Stark praised from the open door, two cups of coffee in his hands.

Kitty jumped a little, wondering how long Tony had been standing there and why she didn’t notice. “I was aimin’ for his head.” She informed him sadly, making an effort to sit up. “Is that for me?” She nodded to the second cup in Tony’s hands. 

“I don’t think coffee and morphine mix well.” Logan commented as he ran his hand through his hair and stretched.

“Morphine?” She asked, looking back and forth at the two men. Logan nodded. Her eyes traveled to the clear IV bag hooked up to her arm and felt a wave of disgust. “Where’s the doctor? I want off it.” She tried her best to sound alert and insistent, but everything hurt and she just wanted to sleep; Without narcotic based medications.

“Kit,” Tony pulled up the second chair to her bedside and sat in it. “You were in ICU for over a week before they could move you in here. That piece of shrapnel broke your bone into three pieces. They had to take it out and put in the rods to bring the pieces back together and stabilize it.” He explained it all slowly, trying to gauge if she understood what he was saying.

Tony continued, “You’ve also had a couple blood transfusions. They tested me thinking I was your biological father, and it turns out we have the same blood type, so they took all you needed from me. LeRoux broke one of the bones in your wrist when he grabbed it, so that’s been patched up.” He nodded to the bandages on her arm. “Your lungs were almost black from the smoke and they had to drain a bunch of blood from them. There was the chunk missing from your arm straight to the bone and they think you sprained your other ankle while going through all the building damage. And judging by how you didn’t notice when I came into the room until I spoke, I’m going to venture to say your hearing was affected. So you’re going to be in here, wrapped up, for a bit.” 

“Don’t forget the concussion.” Logan added. He brought his chair closer to her bed and sat down, sipping his coffee. “They put sixteen stitches in that cut on your scalp once they got all the glass out. Your shoulder, side, and all down your back have second and third degree burns. And some of the ends of your hair got singed from the fire.”

“Oh.” Her left hand moved her to her hair and felt that it had been chopped off to her shoulder blades while the other side still flowed down past the middle of her back. Kitty blinked away a tear and tried to ignore the irrational upset from some of her hair being gone. “I still want off the hard meds.” She said stubbornly. 

Logan rolled his eyes as he got up from his chair. “Fine,” He sighed. “I’ll go get the doctor.” 

“I’ll come with.” Tony offered, getting up as well. He turned to Kitty. “At least try to sleep.” She gave Tony a look that told him that she would try her best to stay awake. The two men left her room, only to stop at the front of her door.

“Who the hell wants _off_ morphine?” Logan asked.

“I don’t know,” Tony admitted. “But she never wants anything narcotic based. Banner stopped giving her anything stronger because she’d just throw a fit. Steve thinks it’s got something to do with her family. I think her father was a doctor, maybe a nurse.” “Would explain it. If her dad was addicted to narcotics and was abusive…” Logan trailed off, trying to stifle the anger rising in him. He walked up to the front desk and asked for the doctor.

Kitty had barely dozed off when Logan and Tony came back in with a beautiful woman in a white lab coat. 

“Hello, Miss Kitty.” The woman smiled, showing off all of her dazzling white teeth. “My name is Dr. Alice Cho, I’m your doctor.” She stretched out her hand and, with some effort, Kitty shook it. “Motor function looks pretty good. Your father here told me that you’ve requested being taken off the morphine.” The doctor flipped her extraordinarily long, dark hair over her shoulder and Kitty idly wondered how she could work with it down like that. 

Kitty sighed, trying to think of how to argue her point without going into specifics. “Can’t you just give me something that’s not narcotic based? Please?”

“Could Kitty and I have a moment alone?” Dr. Cho requested, practically shoving Logan and Tony out of the room. “Is there something I need to know about you and morphine?” She asked softly, sitting down in Logan’s chair.

“No.” Kitty started picking out the dirt and ashes from under her fingernails. “I just don’t want to be on it. I respond well on Toradol and Naproxen, though. I’d much rather be on one of those.”

“Kitty,” Dr. Cho tried to get her attention, but Kitty was stubbornly looking down. “You’ve got some pretty substantial injuries here. If I take you off the morphine and only give you something non-narcotic based, you’re going to be in a great deal of pain.” Kitty met the doctor’s kind, brown eyes. “So, I ask again. Is there something you need to tell me about why you’re refusing morphine?”

“There were...addiction problems in the family.” Kitty admitted. “Not me. But one of my parents…” Her voice trailed off. 

“That man out there?” The doctor asked, pointing a slender finger at the door.

“No,” Kitty shook her head with a bit of a laugh. “No, Tony is…” Kitty sighed and decided to not go into the semantics on her pseudo family. “My adopted father. My biological father had an addiction...”

“Oh, okay,” Dr. Cho nodded as she got up and opened the door to let Tony and Logan back in. “I’m going to keep you sedated for three days, then put you on IV Toradol,” She picked up Kitty’s chart and started writing a note in it. “BUT if you two notice her in any pain once she’s awake, you need to tell the nurses and we’ll put her back on something stronger.” She turned to Kitty. “If you’re in pain, please tell them. I have the feeling that you’re difficult and will want to hide it, but I’m serious. It’ll just make the healing harder on you.”

Kitty nodded and watched the doctor leave. “I like her.” A nurse came in to change the morphine out and Kitty noticed that both men were watching her carefully. “So, if I’m going to be in here a while, could you guys grab some of my stuff from the Tower?”

“What do you need?” Tony asked. “I’ve got to go take a shower and change anyway.”

Kitty took a good look at Tony and realized how terrible he looked. He had dark circles around his eyes and his hair stood up in odd angles. His hands were shaking slightly while clutching his coffee cup and Kitty recognized the signs of someone who hasn’t had a real meal in a while. “Tony, how much blood did you give?”

“I don’t know,” He shrugged. “However much they needed for the transfusions. They said they wanted all of it to be from one source so there’s less chance of your body rejecting it, so they took it in a couple of phases.”

“Okay, now when’s the last time you ate anything that wasn’t out of a vending machine?” She asked cautiously. 

“You sound like Steve.” He complained, rolling his eyes and ignoring the question.

“Go home, dad.” Kitty said softly. “Shower, eat some real food, then sleep. I don’t want to see you here for at least twelve hours.” 

“Technically, you won’t see me anyways since they’re going to knock you out.” Tony rubbed his eyes, knowing that fighting with her was useless. Besides, a bed sounded glorious in comparison to the uncomfortable chair. “Fine.” He turned to Logan. “Are you staying with her?”

Before he could answer, Kitty turned her momming powers to Logan. “When’s the last time _you_ ate and slept in a bed?” The tall man looked at Tony for help against the tiny blonde. “That’s what I thought. Both of you need to go home. Send Steve or Tasha or Barton.”

Tony pulled out his phone, scrolling through the data. “I’ll send Steve. What stuff of yours do you want him to bring?”

Kitty bit her lip. “There’s a black backpack in my closet. It’s got a couple changes of clothes, some books and stuff. If he could just bring that without going through it, that'd be great.”

“You’ve got a go-bag?” Logan asked, his eyebrows raised. “Planning on running away?”

“No.” Kitty said firmly. “Just a precaution.” She narrowed her dark blue eyes at Logan, who glared right back at her. Her heart beat faster at the stand-off and Kitty tried her best to ignore it.

There was a minute of tense silence before Tony spoke. “I’ll send Steve here with it.” Both turned and headed for the door.

“Wait!” Kitty said, her voice panicked. “What day is it?”

Logan gave her an odd look and asked, “Why? You got somewhere to be?”

“The day?” Kitty prompted as she flicked her eyes at Logan. “Please.”

“The ninth.” Tony answered. 

“Shit. Can I see your phone?” Kitty asked Tony, nodding to the device in his hand. “I really need it.” She added when he hesitated. 

“Tell me why first.”

Kitty sighed and rolled her eyes. “I need to transfer over some money to a friend.” 

“A friend?” Logan repeated, skeptical.

“Yes,” Kitty sneered. “A friend. I do have those, ya know.”  


“Why are you transferring this ‘friend’ money?” Tony crossed his arms over his chest. If this was a mercenary thing, he wasn’t about to take part in it.

“Because I transfer her money every month to make sure she’s comfortable and has everything she needs.” Kitty explained. “I’ve been doing it since she was sixteen, so it’s like a ritual at this point.”

Tony silently handed Kitty the phone, so she continued. “Both of her parents were murdered when she was a child and her adopted father was a pedophile. One of the other girls who had lived in the house contracted me to kill him. I did it free of charge, of course.” She assured them. “Akiko was the youngest there, so I moved her from Japan to here and made a deal with her.” Kitty scrolled on the phone and made the transfer to the girls account. “I give her over a couple thousand a month to cover everything she needs and pay her tuition, and in return, she sends me her grades and proof she’s doing well in school.” Kitty handed the phone back to Tony and smiled proudly. “She’s going to Yale to be a lawyer.”

“You’re paying for a girl, that you’re in no way related to, to go to Yale?” Logan asked.

“Akiko is very smart. She became fluent in English in about a year.” Kitty said. “I try to visit her every couple of months, make sure she’s doing alright. I stopped by before I came back here and she has a lot of friends and is top of her class.” Tony just looked at Logan and shook his head. “Thank you for letting me borrow your phone. Now go, sleep.” She ordered, trying to sound stern.

“You need to sleep, too, you know.” Tony picked up his jacket that had been draped over a chair and put it on.

“I will.” Kitty promised, her eyelids already becoming heavy. “Good night Logan, night dad.” She whispered before succumbing to the darkness.

The lights were off when she woke up, except for lamp that Steve was using to read a magazine. He was sitting in Tony’s chair on the left side of her bed, far enough for the light to not bother her, but close enough for him to see if something was wrong.

“Whatcha readin’, ‘Cap?” Kitty breathed dazedly, looking around the small hospital room.

“Hey, there,” He smiled. “You gave us quite a scare there.” Steve Rogers held up the periodical and answered, “Time magazine. Tony ordered them for me. I’m on 1968.”

Kitty smiled. “60’s had some good music. ‘White Room’ by Cream came out in ‘68.” She sat up a little and felt a bolt of pain go through her leg. Kitty winced slightly, trying to contain her facial expressions as to not let him know that she felt as though her body was being split in two. “How long was I out?”

Steve put down the magazine and rest his arms on the edge of Kitty’s hospital bed. “Thirteen hours. You know, if you’re in pain, we can put you back on the higher pain med-”

“No.” Kitty interrupted. She lifted her hand and pat Steve’s arm reassuringly. “I’m okay, really.” She added, before deciding to change the topic. “Did you bring my bag?”

Steve nodded and reached down to grab her black backpack. “Tony said you didn’t want me to look in it, so I didn’t.” He gave it to her and watched as she extracted a pad of paper and some pencils before handing the bag back to him.

“Who brought those?” Kitty nodded to a small vase full of sunflowers and lilacs in the corner.

Steve glanced over at them before shrugging. “I don’t know. Nurses said they were dropped off by a tall, dark haired man.”

“I’m surrounded by tall men.” Kitty pointed out with a smile.

“Well, it wasn’t from any of us. I can pull up the surveillance footage for you, but whoever it is is wearing a bandana or mask around their face. We couldn’t really see, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t LeRoux. The person was too tall and more muscular.”

“Oh,” Kitty said shortly, her eyes still focused on the arrangement. “And it wasn’t Wilson, right?”

“No.” Steve’s eyebrows drew together and he looked at the flowers again. “Is there something wrong? Should I take them away-“

“No.” She shook her head. “Just curious-“ _on who the fuck knows that those are my two favorite flowers_\- “So if you guys figure out who sent them, lettme know.”

“Of course.”

Kitty started sketching awkwardly on the paper, trying to find a way to draw while still lying mostly down. Steve went back to his magazine and they sat like that for a while, her drawing and him reading. It was nice, them sitting together quietly. After she finished her first sketch, she decided to approach the topic that had been occupying her mind. “So, how’s Deadpool doing?”

“He’s healed by now, but Peter’s keeping him down for the next couple days. He was close to the bomb when it detonated, ended up being blown three blocks. Almost tore him into pieces.” Steve explained.

Kitty’s hand stopped moving and the screen monitoring her heart rate sped up as she remembered the explosion. She could almost feel the heat burning at her back and the metal embedded in her leg. Kitty couldn’t hear Steve asking her if she was okay. Instead, she heard Ashley LeRoux laughing as he kicked her. She heard his Southern drawl as he called her “his dahlia” and her heart rate sped. 

“Kitty?” Steve gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “Kitty, can you hear me?” Her breathing was heavy and the ringing in her ears became unbearable. Then, it all made sense.

“He had it with him,” Kitty whispered. “That bastard had the bomb with him at the restaurant.”

“Are you sure?”

She flicked her eyes to Steve’s worried face and nodded. “He could have done it right then and there but he waited. He did this because I said no to joinin’ him.” 

“Kitty, this isn’t your fault.” Steve told her, but it was too late. Kitty’s heart rate monitor started beeping off the charts and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her O2 level on the screen dropped dramatically. “I’m going to go get a nurse.” Steve jabbed his thumb back at the nurses station. 

“No!” Kitty shook her head. “I’m okay. Just...It just sometimes hurts when I breathe in...” She made an effort to sit up as she moved her sketchbook.

“The nurse said you might have problems for a few weeks because of all the cracked ribs.” Steve was still looking at her with concern over her episode.

“Cracked ribs?” Kitty stopped what she was doing and looked up at Steve. 

He nodded. “From the CPR.”

“The nurse didn’t tell me that they had to do CPR.” 

“That’s because _they_ didn’t.” He said simply, going back to reading his magazine. “Logan did.”

“Logan?” Kitty asked in disbelief. 

“Yeah, he got to you first. When I found you two, he had been doing CPR for over fifteen minutes non-stop. We finally found a pulse sometime after that, then you woke up.”

“He did CPR on me for fifteen minutes?” Kitty’s eyes widened and her heart raced again.

“No, he was at fifteen minutes when I got there. It was probably closer to twenty five by the time you woke up.” 

“Oh…” Kitty sat there, thinking back to those painful moments. “Are, uh, are Tony and Logan sleeping at the Tower?” Kitty asked as a nurse entered the room, smiling brightly at Steve. 

“Uh, yeah. Tony texted me just before you woke up saying that they would be over soon.” Steve said as the nurse checked over the chart hanging on the end of the bed and pulled out a vile to inject into the IV in Kitty’s arm.

“Good, they needed the sleep.” Kitty felt a wave of dizziness hit and she held her breath until it passed. “I think I’ll nap until they get here, if you would be so kind as to wake me up when...” And just like that, she drifted off yet again.


End file.
